Hidden- Extended Version
by Casey Redbird
Summary: The reveal ritual was successful, and the High Council knows the truth about the evil Neferet has committed over the years. Yet Zoey feels like nothing is really over- and she's right. Neferet's evil has not ended. In fact it has only begun. In this installment, what's HIDDEN will finally come to the light. Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but my plotlines, and the Casts own the rest.
1. Welcome to the Extended Version!

**Hey, guys!**

**So I was just rereading HIDDEN, and I was looking back at some of my mistakes. There are several grammatical mistakes as well as spelling errors that I would love to edit. So, with that being said, I'll be editing HIDDEN and giving it to you again in a more awesome scope! Also, I'll give you some of the parts that I cut while editing the first time, as well as the hidden epilogue that I deleted from the original version!**

**Go crazy! I've already updated the prologue, and the rest of the chapters will be updated as follows. How do you like me now?**

**Enjoy!**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Thanatos_

She looked from Zoey to Kalona, her eyes wide with shock. She couldn't believe it. Zoey and her friends had not been lying about Neferet's evil, and she'd seen it for herself this night—Darkness had attacked Zoey's mother and killed her.

"Neferet must be brought out of power!" she declared, making it an oath. Her voice rang with the Goddess's anger, and caused most of the fledglings and vampyres to stare into her eyes. "She has caused turmoil and Darkness in this realm, and that is not what we want. Through the Council's help, we will fight to get her out of power."

"We'll help you, Thanatos," Aphrodite vowed grimly. "As much as we want to run away screaming and a seriously unattractive red shade, we'll help you." Zoey nodded in agreement, as though this was exactly what she wanted to do. Thanatos knew the young Priestess was scared—what High Priestess wasn't when confronting her destiny?—but she didn't show it very much. Zoey was growing into her fate.

Thanatos felt Death swirling around her—getting ready to welcome someone else into its open arms. She hoped it wasn't one of the children she was with now. It would be a terrible dismay to lose one of them so early in the game.

The bus pulled in front of the House of Night. Thanatos was not listening to the strung lace of conversation of the fledglings and humans behind her. She was staring at Neferet, who was standing by the doors to the House. The beautiful seductress stood there, a smile upon her gorgeous face. Thanatos had always seen the threads of Darkness that covered her, serving her beauty and power, but now she saw much more. How had she been so blind to Neferet's evil?

"I shall not let her harm you," Kalona murmured, grabbing onto his High Priestess's arm. She held onto him as well, Death serving as an invisible shield. Thanatos and Kalona, taking deep breaths, climbed off the bus.

When she saw Kalona, Neferet's eyes widened in disbelief, anger playing across her features. "You would ally with Kalona?" she hissed at Thanatos. Usually the High Priestess didn't question her motives, but something had felt right about Kalona being her Warrior. Something had felt... Good, for once. She could tell it was meant to be. Nyx wanted Kalona to protect Thanatos.

"She is my High Priestess, and I am her Warrior," Kalona said. Thanatos was surprised to see tears brimming in his eyes; he blinked them away, trying to ensure that Neferet did not notice them. "Death and I have a job to do."

"Neferet, you have allied with the white bull of Darkness, begun calling the bull your Consort. In the reveal ritual to find who committed Zoey's mother's murder, I discovered your allegiance to Darkness. Do you not understand the deep wrongness of this heinous act?" Thanatos glared at Neferet. Her hands balled up into fists, strengthening the effect of Death.

Neferet ignored her question. "Where is my beloved Aurox?" she asked, brushing a strand of auburn hair away from her face. She struggled to look bored, but Thanatos could tell that the Tsi Sgili was scared. She knew she'd been outed, and she was going to have to face the terrible consequences sooner or later.

"He's gone. Probably ran somewhere back to you—ready to do your dirty work yet again," Zoey said quietly, even though she didn't sound so sure that what she was saying was true. Thanatos turned to see her and Stark standing beside them. Zoey's eyes were full of fear, but also with bravery, her fingers twined tightly with Stark's. She was prepared to fight for what she believed in.

Thanatos saw the true eyes of a High Priestess on Zoey Redbird, and she finally understood why Nyx had chosen Zoey. She had the blood of both Wise Woman and High Priestess in her. The Wise Woman blood came from her mother's side, but she wondered where the vampyre magick came from. Did her father have something to do with it?

Stark was standing protectively beside Zoey, as if he feared something would happen then, to his High Priestess or to anyone else. His eyes looked dangerous. He was prepared to fight, to injure anyone who tried to harm her. Stark was just as worthy as the High Priestess he protected.

"Very well," Neferet said smoothly. When they all stared blankly at her, she snapped, "GET TO CLASS, fledglings and vampyres! You do not need to miss the rest of your day." Thanatos watched as the children walked inside the House of Night, not wanting to disobey Neferet just yet—and they really did need to go to class; they'd already missed about ten minutes of it due to their being late coming back. Neferet followed them, until it was just her and Kalona.

He looked magnificent and gorgeous in the dim moonlight. Thanatos found herself staring at him. His long, thick mane of hair seemed to shimmer with the moon's sheen. His muscular bodice, thick and hard, sent chills of desire down her spine. She bit her lip. How beautiful her Warrior was.

"I must go, my Priestess," he said, kissing her hand. The kiss tingled, right in the spot where he'd placed his lips. She wanted to feel those perfect lips against hers—against her body. "I will be back soon."

"Goodbye, Warrior." Thanatos sighed softly. She didn't want him to leave her, but she could see that he had something he needed to do.

Kalona spread his night-colored wings and flew away from her. Thanatos waited for a moment before she entered the House of Night, watching the sapphire sky change patterns in the night. Then she left the darkness behind and prepared herself for yet another day of teaching.

_Kalona_

Kalona flew, his wings beating the air. His heart was racing as he relived the last thirty minutes of his life:

_Rephaim nearly dying at Aurox's hand. His tears, crying over his son to revive him. The blood washing away, and Nyx's magick so evident over the boy. Kalona's joy. Kalona's decision. And now, Kalona's sacrifice. _

Kalona didn't regret choosing Thanatos as his High Priestess. The woman was beautiful, and he wanted to get to know her better—to serve her better. He wanted to use her to fill—

_No,_ he thought fiercely. _I must not think in that way. If I believe I am trying to get to Nyx, I _will _be trying to get to her. I have loved her for centuries and I will never get her back. I must stop lusting after her!_

Why was that so much easier said than done? In the years since he'd last seen Nyx, Kalona had become a shell of himself, attempting to fill the hole that she'd left with some other type of Priestess. That wasn't working, as he'd seen with Neferet. Maybe he could do good serving her Priestesses, just not her.

In that moment, for the first time in thousands of years, Kalona accepted that he would probably never see Nyx again. Sure, he may never see her again.

But that didn't mean he couldn't love her.

So, under the blue sky, Kalona thought of how much he longed for Nyx, and wept.

**Hidden Updated Prologue**

**I am so glad to present this to you! I wrote the first couple chapters of this fanfic when I was twelve, guys. There were some things in there that sounded ridiculous, even to me. So I had to edit it. More edits and updates coming soon!**

**Love ya, and I hope you enjoy the new version!**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	3. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

_Aurox_

Aurox swallowed, his throat unexplainably dry. It was probably the product of his fatigue, which was the product of his change into the bull that defined him so. The form he was in now.

Barely noticing it, he changed back into a human. There was no need for him to be the bull anymore. Darkness had forced him to do the ludicrous deed he'd been brought here for, and he'd done it. He could be left alone now. He sat before the house, thoughts in his head, all different but on the same subject.

He watched the Wise Woman walk inside her home. She seemed to be humming, her eyes lifted in happiness. He didn't understand how she could be so happy—her daughter had just been killed and she'd had to relive the murder tonight. Even the most bloodthirsty killer couldn't love death that much. Yet Sylvia Redbird's lips were turned up, her shoulders squared as though a great weight had been lifted off them.

He wanted to ask her why she was so happy, but he knew she would probably hate him. He was the creation of Neferet, who had been behind his mother's death. And his mother's death had been what had created him.

He quietly shuffled off toward the city, his eyes downcast with his shame. When he looked up, the first car he saw was his. He climbed inside the car, putting the keys in the ignition. When it roared to life, he started it and drove away, frowning as he recalled the events of the night before once more. Zoey Redbird, staring at him, that seer stone in her hands, her eyes wide. _"Heath!" _she'd cried.

She'd called him Heath. In his week-long existence, he'd never come to know a soul named Heath. How could she have mistaken him for someone else?

_Heath..._ The name seemed to roll around in his mind, strangely comforting. "Heath," he said aloud, testing the name on his lips. It sounded so familiar. So much like... home.

_Why do I know this name so much? _He frowned and began contemplating why she'd called him by the name.

Heath. _As if she did not know his name..._

Aurox pulled swiftly into the House of Night's parking lot. A stab of pain shattered through him. His body was tired and shivering from the strain of last night's events, and yet Neferet was still calling him. She expected too much from him, and she was getting too little. Aurox knew she would be angry with him. He'd failed to stop the ritual and had not killed the person she'd wanted dead. He cringed, bracing himself for the cold fire of the Dark threads.

He quietly got out of the car and followed his lifeline. Neferet and the white bull were sitting by the shattered tree before the east wall, on the bench that had remained unscathed in Kalona's escaping of the earth. He gasped when he caught sight of her. Somehow she looked different now—more powerful—more evil. "Aurox," Neferet snarled, her eyes filled with anger. "What took you so long to return to my watch?"

Aurox thought that Neferet must be utterly, completely mad. She was sitting there, with Darkness right beside her, and she was speaking to his gift like he was nothing. And Aurox probably was nothing to her. But the careless way she spoke to him, even in front of the white bull, surprised him. Neferet was more than he'd believed her to be. She was immortal, and she was a powerful servant of Darkness.

Confusion swirled through his memories. Why was he so frightened of her now, when just days ago, he'd been prepared to serve her no matter what the cost?

Anger penetrated his soul. How dare he question his loyalty to her? He should be serving her now, licking her feet and fixing her blood and doing whatever else she wanted him to do for her!

Fear seemed to stab at him like a knife. Why didn't he _want _to serve her anymore? Aurox couldn't feel anything but the desire to return to Zoey and beg her forgiveness, her acceptance. And that was when he realized how different he and Neferet truly were.

The words swirled around in his mind as if they were being whispered to his soul. Emotions battered him like someone rattling the chain on a closed fence. Aurox tried to pretend that he hadn't felt them. Neferet was watching him, her eyes narrow, and he knew she'd seen his losing control.

"What is it, Aurox?" she said, forcing herself to sound calm even though he could hear that she was running out of patience.

"I do not know," Aurox answered truthfully. He wasn't going to lie to her, as much as he was terrified of her. Aurox realized that wasn't it. He wasn't just afraid of her—he hated her fiercely. He hated anything that caused Zoey pain, and that was what her mother's death had done. Anger returned, but this time he subdued it in a better way.

Neferet smiled up at the white bull sarcastically, her eyes seeming to shine. Aurox remembered what a good actress she was. "My lord, your creature is brilliant." Then she scowled. "Brilliantly stupid. He did not do as I asked him to do, and his punishment should be most vast."

Aurox thought Neferet had pushed Darkness too far this time, and he prepared for the bull to get angry, but he simply laughed, shaking his head in amazement. "You gave me a weak sacrifice; this is your Vessel. You cannot change the spell, my heartless one. It is binding." A twinkle of amusement sparkled in the bull's eye. He couldn't be sure, but Aurox thought he saw a trace of irritation in Neferet's cold, limitless green eyes.

Darkness's sick eyes turned toward him. "Vessel," the bull said, "I have a task for you. Kill a fledgling, any fledgling. It cannot be one of Zoey and her circle," he said, minor irritation in his voice—Aurox was sure that the bull wanted Zoey dead right along with Neferet; she served Light and therefore must be destroyed. "But you can kill any fledgling at this House of Night. Chaos has suffered this night, and serving its magic would serve to increase the tension at Nyx's 'magickal' school." The bull's face shifted into something like a twisted version of a smile, or a sneer—whichever you wanted to call it.

"I know just the fledgling, Master," Aurox said, bowing to Darkness. Aurox rose gracefully and took a deep breath, staring at the House of Night. Of the vast emotions raging from the students there, the main one he felt was fear—what was going to happen next? He tried to stop himself when he realized what was happening—he didn't need to shift form to kill, as his human body was strong enough—but before he could do anything about it, he absorbed the fear and, with one last sigh, turned back into the bull. After Neferet and the white bull dismissed him, Aurox rode off into the mysterious night, his eyes glowing like moonstones, from deep inside. He rode in the direction of the fledgling who's fate he'd decided—even though it wasn't entirely against his will.

_Becca_

Hurrying from the other room, Becca wiped her tears from her eyes. She was crying bitterly. Her boyfriend had just broken her heart. He'd been cheating on her with some _other whore. _

"He's probably gonna go be with Zoey!" Becca shouted as she entered the night. "Fuck him." As she stared into the skies, she prayed to Nyx that her boyfriend was not sent to the Otherworld when he died. She hoped he'd be reborn as an ant. Then she could step on him, and end his miserable life.

Becca laughed.

She watched Aurox walk up in front of her. Another stab of seething hatred entered her. He was all into Zoey, and just days ago she'd tried to taste his blood and it had tasted... wrong. "Get away from me, you freak," she growled. "Go be Zoey's lapdog." She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked.

"I am a freak." Aurox spoke the words as a statement of fact. "I will kill you now." Aurox grabbed Becca and became a large, terrifying bull, the creature that she had only seen emerge from the depths of his body once.

"No!" Becca cried as tendrils of Darkness sucked her blood. The power of Darkness swirled above her, in the air. Becca screamed as the Darkness fed its intent.

_Aurox_

Aurox drank in her fear, her terror, until he couldn't drink anymore. He felt terrible about killing her once she was dead, but he was glad he'd done it—now, Aurox felt bloated, full, as if he'd eaten a meal. It had certainly served his power. Aurox used some of the fear he'd ingested to propel himself forward, back to Neferet and Darkness and the ones who had created him, though he longed for something more, something that Zoey Redbird had the key to and could give him. But to unlock that would be unlocking the end of the world.

...

**Hidden: UPDATE, Chapter 1**

**I made a **_**lot **_**of changes to this one. The whole Aurox-flying thing never appears or matters in the story, so I cut it out. I was going to add the outtake of Kalona/Zoey, but that's best saved for later in the story. There's plenty of Stephaim outtakes as well!**

**See you next time!**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	4. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

_Erin_

"She can be pissed at me all she wants," Erin muttered to herself as she watched Shaunee talk to Zoey about something. "I don't care. I can find another best friend—she doesn't even have to be my twin." Erin walked out of the kitchen, feeling like even though she was a part of the Circle, she wasn't wanted.

Erin kept walking, thinking about all the frustration she wanted to hurl at Shaunee for her actions. She'd left her alone, without anyone to confide in. Erin was devastated, so she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. As she navigated through the tunnels, her hair swinging behind her, she bumped right into Thanatos.

The High Priestess smiled at her, but Erin blushed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," she said.

"It's okay, Erin. Why are you not with Shaunee?" Thanatos asked gently. "I had assumed the connection between the two of you was powerful—you were like sisters."

Erin's lips shook. The truth of the matter was so much more than what Shaunee had thought it was. Erin didn't see why ever since Rephaim had come around, she'd been acting weird about her dad—that wasn't really the issue. The truth was that Erin resented Shaunee. All Erin could do was shop with the truckloads of moola her dad sent monthly. Erin's parents were too busy obsessing over their cash to spend any time with her. At least Shaunee's parents showed _some _sort of care for her.

Before Erin had been Marked, she'd spent all her time with her aunt. Her aunt Sandy was the only person in the Bates family that didn't only care about clothes and money—and guiltily Erin realized that she was on that list too. For most of her life, all she'd wanted were the finer things. She'd gotten them most of the time, too. Aunt Sally had basically raised her, while her mother and father were out shopping for more clothes.

Erin had only seen her dad about seven times in her life, literally. Most of the time, he was so obsessed with his money that he never came around, and he didn't want anything to do with her unless it involved money. Her mom came around more often (Aunt Sally was her mom's sister) but it wasn't _too_ often. And whenever Erin saw her dad he took her shopping—mostly for things for her. At the time that had been great, but Erin realized now what her father had been trying to do.

He'd been spoiling her and now all she cared about was clothes, looks and accessories. She'd barely even cried when Jack had died, even though she'd missed the boy—Jack had been one of her closest friends and she knew the pain it was putting Damien through to have him gone. She felt like such a fucking jerk!

She didn't realize she was crying until Thanatos grasped her face, her hands soft and warm, and forced Erin to look in the High Priestess's eyes. "You don't have to tell me why you're crying, but I want you to understand that fights are born out of anger and humility. Usually fights can be stopped. Anger does not last forever. Love does."

Erin felt like she should trust Death, if anybody, so she nodded. "No... No, I can tell you. It's no problem. I _want _to tell you, anyway."

Erin closed her eyes and let the past take her, and she thought about what had happened—the events that had come to shape her future.

...

_Standing in front of the door, Erin watched, horrified, as Dad came running towards her. There was a smile on his face, but she could tell that the smile was not genuine. "Erin..." he said, looking at her in that way he always had when she was upset."Your aunt Sally is dead." He didn't look upset at all. "You want go to the mall?"_

_Erin stared at her dad in disbelief. "Dad... are you fucking serious?" she cried, not caring that she was swearing in front of him. Anger built up inside of her and she wanted to attack him—to make him pay for such terrible things. "My aunt is dead, and you want to take me to the mall?"_

_"That's like stress relief for you, honey," Dad said, stroking her hair. "You could get those new Uggs and True Religions you wanted. Remember, with the blue stitching?"_

_The horrible part about it was that Erin could feel her willpower crumbling. She wanted to say yes. She'd been spoiled all her life, and she had seen those Ugg boots in the catalog the other day, and she'd wanted them badly. But she thought about Aunt Sally and how disappointed her aunt would be that she was choosing money and clothes over her. _

_Just at that moment, before Erin could say anything, the vampyre man appeared. He seemed to come from nowhere, seeping from the pure mist of the night, and appeared between Erin and her father. Erin jumped as he walked towards her. He was beautiful—the tattoos on his face adorned his features perfectly—but she couldn't focus on his beauty now—she had to focus on his words. She listened as he opened his mouth and said:_

_"Erin Bates! Night has chosen thee—thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee—hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"_

_The sweet, majestic power of the centuries-old Marking words drifted across her forehead, and with a white-hot stab of pain, Erin blacked out._

...

Erin stared at Thanatos, her eyes a little misty. She felt a little weird—she'd never shared that story with anyone. It was almost like Thanatos had invaded her privacy. After a while, the High Priestess said, "I understand now why Shaunee was angry with you, but it is not your fault. Shopping was a stress relief, as your father said, for you. It took your mind off your anger at him."

"Yeah, it did," Erin said. Tears came to her eyes. "But the worst part about it was: I was weak. I never want to feel like that again." Erin wiped the tears from her eyes. "I think that even if Shaunee and I become friends again, we can never call each other a Twin. Twin was a title of shallowness, and of meanness. I don't want to be shallow." Erin shook her head. "But at the same time, I keep thinking that I need someone like her—someone strong enough to hold me up."

"Well, I believe you should try to reconcile with her. There is no bad blood needed in this time of anger." Thanatos shook her head and stood. "And you are strong enough to hold yourself up, Erin. You do not need anyone else. I must be going. I will leave you to figure out your fate. Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again." She dipped her head in goodbye and left. Erin stared after the High Priestess.

"She's really cool," she said to no one in particular. "But I'm not sure what she said was right."

Erin walked out of the depot. The cool, crisp air of a Tulsa night brushed against her face. It was so sweet that she almost felt like Damien was controlling the winds for her, making the night perfect just for her.

"Wrong," whispered a feminine voice. Erin whirled around. A dauntingly beautiful woman was standing before her. Her green eyes were guileless, but they were as frigid as ice. Her auburn hair blew in the calm, beautiful wind. Her dress flowed as if it was part of the air around her. She was utterly evil—yet deceptively beautiful.

"Neferet?" Erin whispered.

"Erin Bates. You are so pathetic and weak," she chided. "Learn, my child, how to use your affinity better. I knew that you and Shaunee would be the perfect place to look for dissention among the circle. And I was right."

"Neferet, I'm not going to back down. I would never choose you." Erin stood firmly, her arms crossed over her chest, and toe-to-toe with Neferet, refusing to let her strength falter_. We underestimated her so much. She is so powerful. Why does that only make her look more beautiful?_ Erin tried to focus on water—the element strengthened her and calmed her, giving her power against Neferet's Dark magic. She glared back at Neferet.

"No one said you weren't." Disappointment washed over Neferet's face. "And I was so fond of you. Now it appears that I must take care of you. If I cannot have a powerful force on my side, it seems that I must take the life of one. Maybe that will serve to weaken Zoey's beloved circle." Neferet grinned.

Neferet lunged at her with a speed she'd never seen before. Erin screamed as the woman's hands went straight for her throat. Then, as Neferet tightened her fingers around Erin's neck, Dark threads moved along her fingers, burning into Erin's skin. Erin moaned as her head lolled. The blood coursed along her throat slowly, like a snake. Erin tried not to scream, knowing that she had to maintain her water supply.

_What can I do? _Erin thought frantically. She was starting to lose her breath. Neferet's tightness was getting to her, and it was getting stronger. Soon, Erin would stop breathing, and her heart would stop. Then she would die.

_I... I can't... Shaunee! _Erin thought desperately. _Shaunee can save me. I can't do this on my own. Water isn't strong enough. Fire could help me._

_Shaunee_

Shaunee should have known that something was wrong from the moment her stomach started to tighten, as if someone had punched her there. Her affinity never lied to her, and now it was telling her that Erin was in trouble—her ex-twin needed her. But Erin was mad at her...

Shaunee thought she heard her ex-Twin calling her. At first, she knew she hadn't—she was a lunatic. But then she realized heard it again—a hoarse voice, almost in the back of her mind. "Erin?" she called softly.

Erin's voice sounded terrified. Shaunee didn't wait to find out what was wrong with her. She jumped up, running for where her gut was leading her. Fire pushed her in the right direction.

Shaunee burst out of the depot. Her eyes widened as she saw Neferet choking Erin. Erin's face was pale, her throat shivering and bleeding, and it was clear that Neferet was killing her. UnTwinned or not, she was _not _going to let Neferet touch anyone else she cared about. "Fire!" Shaunee's voice whipped from her mouth. "Come to me!" She could feel the power of the element whipping around her. "Protect Erin!"

The fire she had conjured up left her in a burst of energy. Shaunee watched the fire coalesce toward Neferet. Fire finally hit her, causing her to gasp and let go of Erin, who fell to her knees and started to convulse on the ground.

Shaunee stood protectively in front of Erin and faced Neferet. "Everyone in this area's protected. So from here on out, anticipate defeat when you try things like this." Shaunee glared at Neferet. Then she bent down and said, "Fire, heal her." Fire went to work at her order, warming the frigid cold spots in Erin's heart that Darkness had wrought. When Shaunee looked up, Neferet was gone.

_Neferet_

The Tsi Sgili tried to contain her irritation. Why did it seem like it was getting harder and harder for her to kill people—especially people who happened to be close to Nyx? Was it because Death was close by? Was Thanatos manipulating her affinity?

"No." Neferet spoke to her Darkness. "Death cannot be manipulated."

Then why was Fate changing? Why were things destined to be becoming nonexistent?

Neferet once again tried to swallow her anger. "I must return to my Consort. He will give me power and I may strike again—perhaps at a larger force this time. Possibly Stevie Rae. Or maybe even Zoey."

That made Neferet smile.

_Erin_

"Thank you," Erin said gratefully. "That was very nice of you."

"Well, I don't want you to be mistaken. I can't—"

"Be my Twin?" Erin looked at Shaunee knowingly. "I know. I can't be your Twin. That's something we established when we got into the argument. Twin is a shallow thing, and we've broken from that."

"Well, we can still be friends." Erin smiled up at her. And after a short while of uncertainty, Shaunee smiled back.

...

**Hidden, Chapter 2—UPDATE**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	5. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

_Zoey_

We had all gathered in the kitchen, which was becoming our annual meeting place. I sat down at the table with Shaunee, who was being a lot nicer than usual since she'd un-Twinned. "So you guys are Twins again?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "We're not Twins, but I don't think Erin hates me anymore. We had a talk last night and we're friends now, I guess."

"That's good," I said. But my voice didn't sound very confident, even in my own ears. I had a feeling Erin and Shaunee's falling-out was far from over. Unbeknownst to me, I was right.

"Hello, fucktards." Aphrodite and Darius strode into the kitchen, followed by Thanatos, Kalona, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim—pretty much the whole gang. My throat closed up as I thought about what I had seen through the seer stone last night.

_Aurox is Heath..._

But that couldn't be. Aurox didn't look, act, or _feel _a thing like how Heath felt. If Aurox were Heath, I would've felt it a long time ago. But I knew some part of Heath was in Aurox. I remembered when he'd called me Zo, back when he was helping me clean my face when I was crying. Even back then, I think a part of me had known.

If Aurox was Heath, it meant he would always be on my mind—a possibility—a distraction. He could get to me in every way possible, especially the way that counted the most—in my heart.

It was time to tell everyone about Aurox—and Heath.

Thanatos and Kalona were staring at me as they walked to their seats. At first I tried to ignore it, but it made me feel suspicious after a while.

"What is it?" I demanded, my voice sharp with irritation.

"Nothing. It is just... Thanatos and I have been thinking, and we've decided that we should call the Goddess to discuss our next move, and what we're supposed to do when Neferet comes back into our lives." Kalona couldn't hide the pain in his eyes.

"Yes. Actually that's a good idea. Neferet is going to return soon and we need to know how and when to destroy her," Rephaim agreed.

"Okay... But I have to tell you something, Thanatos." I couldn't believe how calm I sounded. Thanatos and Aphrodite heard it too. They both raised their eyebrows in surprise, thinking that for once I actually sounded like the High Priestess I claimed I was.

"What is it, Zoey?" Thanatos smiled slightly.

"My old Consort, Heath... I saw his soul inside Aurox," I finally said after a long pause. "On Grandma's farm. When I looked through my seer stone at him, Heath was there. His soul... shimmered around him. Weirdly. With a moonstone glow. Ugh." I was getting frustrated at how hard it was to describe what Heath's soul in Aurox had looked like.

Everyone was staring at me, their eyes wide with surprise—this was an unexpected turn of events. Stark looked pissed, but that wasn't unexpected. I'd known he would be angry. It wasn't that Heath was back, but that I was distracted by him.

_"It was your Consort, my daughter."_ The divine voice that spoke shocked us all. _"You were correct in seeing him. I do not gift my daughters and sons with the wrong things." _We looked up to see the glistening Goddess. But she wasn't alone. Standing beside the beautiful, porcelain Goddess who we all loved like our own mother was a tall, muscular man. His skin was bronze and beautiful, and his eyes were spun-gold. His hair was the color of dirt—regular dirt, not red Oklahoma dirt—slick and sheen, Fabio-length like Kalona's. He was even more beautiful than Kalona. His wings shone across the room—a brilliant golden color. I knew the man was Erebus, the protector and Consort of Nyx and the leader of the sons of night.

Erebus looked straight at Kalona, who dipped his head in acknowledgement, but otherwise said nothing. Kalona was probably fuming inside, ready to attack Erebus right at that moment and get things over with. Erebus was a very mean person to play on Kalona's emotions like that. It had to be eating away at him. In that moment, I felt sorry for Kalona, knowing his back-story and the way he loved Nyx. I wondered if I was the only one who thought I saw Kalona shoot the Goddess and her Consort a dirty look.

_"Heath Luck's soul is inside Neferet's Vessel," _Nyx declared. _"Your seer stone was right, my daughter—and it will never be wrong. Do not falter in your seeing. Your darkest hour approaches quickly, and you may not have anything but old magick there with you in the end."_

I wanted to question her—ask her what she meant by _my darkest hour—_but before I could say anything, Nyx looked at Thanatos, and touched her face. _"I was right in gifting you with Death. Of all the gathered fledglings and vampyres here, you are the most suitable in handling it—your resistance to be destroyed proves your willingness to adapt to your affinity. Use it wisely."_ The Goddess looked at Kalona. _"Kalona, my ex-Warrior. You have chosen Light and my path, and turned away from the greed and rage that has surrounded you for decades. As long as you are on my side, I see no reason not to accept you into my service."_ Nyx hesitantly touched his face. I looked at Erebus. I could see the jealousy in his golden eyes.

_"Zoey Redbird."_ It wasn't Nyx that said my name this time, but Erebus. He was smiling at me. _"I have heard so much about you."_

"I've heard a lot about you, too," I said quietly. "I'm so glad to finally meet you."

The Goddess's peaceful, happy expression faded, and she floated back towards Erebus. Her smile faded. "This time is harsh, children. Neferet dares call Darkness her Consort?" Nyx looked pissed, ready to blow the world apart with her fierce anger, and I recognized myself in her expression. _"The Darkness of it all is unnatural. This cannot be. Zoey, you must destroy the Tsi Sgili. She cannot be allowed to live. She has committed to too much atrocity with Darkness. Her very existence goes against the grain of everything I live for."_ The Goddess shook her head in disdain. I could tell she didn't really want Neferet to be killed. Nyx was opposed to killing pretty much anyone, especially after they'd been in her service. But she was an immortal. It wasn't like we could put her in jail. When we let her out, she would still be wreaking the same havoc she'd wrought when we put her in.

"My Goddess." Rephaim spoke up, his voice sounding shocked. "Are you saying that it can only be Zoey who kills Neferet?" He looked confused, as if he didn't believe I could do it on my own. He was right, of course, but it was still a little irritating.

_"Yes, my son. Only the touch of my daughter can bring about Neferet's destruction. And not kill—destroy. She has become immortal. She cannot be killed unless her immortality is removed."_

Thanatos looked horrified, as if the very notion of Neferet being immortal was unfathomable. And it was. "So, Goddess, you are suggesting that we cannot kill Neferet?"

The Goddess shook her head, exasperation crossing her lovely features. _"No—she can be killed. Her immortality's removal will have to take place, which will require a stabbing by the blade of my Elemental Sword—the sword I use in battle. Combined with the power of the five elements and the full scale of human emotion, Neferet's immortality should be defeated." _

Surprising me, before Nyx continued, Erebus handed me the Guardian Sword. "Zoey, use this to destroy the Tsi Sgili when your darkest hour arrives. Get to the deepest recesses of her mind, the roots of her pain, her anger. Retrace her steps. Find where the Darkness entered her life." Erebus smiled at me. Then he looked at Stark. "Guardian, a time will soon come that you will face the worst pain you have ever known, and you will lose many of those close to you—maybe even Zoey Redbird. You will be forced to make an impossible choice. That time is coming very soon." Erebus looked at Damien. "I am truly sorry for your loss. Jack is a vibrant soul. But my Goddess loves you, so I will tell you this. It will get better—and Jack will not be far off."

Nyx looked at Aphrodite and Kramisha and said, "I have more prophesy for you." Nyx flicked her finger towards Aphrodite. With a sickening gasp, Aphrodite's head went limp against the table, and the Prophetess's body began to convulse as she went into another vision. Nyx flicked her finger to Kramisha and the Poet Laureate instantly whipped a piece of paper out and began to write. Nyx looked to Shaunee and Erin. "You two have a very large part to play as well. Fire and water are either best friends or bitter enemies, and your friendship may determine your fate." Nyx smiled again at Stark, and included Rephaim and Stevie Rae in her gaze. "Red High Priestess, you will have a large role as well. Earth is more connected to spirit than you would think, which is why you and Zoey get along so well. Your part is instrumental in the final stand. And Rephaim, I have a feeling that though Stevie Rae is a very strong High Priestess, she will need protection from anything that might befall her. Stark, Zoey needs you as well, though you may need her even more." Finally she looked at Darius. "Your protection is needed of Aphrodite. When her darkest moment comes, you will be there to save her from the consequences." Nyx looked at Thanatos and Kalona. "Do your job, Death. Be her Warrior as best you can, Kalona." With a flash of lightning and heat, Nyx and her incredibly gorgeous Consort faded.

No one said anything for a long time. Then Darius spoke. "Zoey, you have to face off against Neferet. It is the only way for her to be defeated. You must do it with the Guardian Sword. And you must win."

"Zoey has to kill Neferet? Ah, shit," Aphrodite said. "We're doomed."

_Find the roots of her anger..._ I remembered Erebus's words. What had he meant by that? _Retrace her steps..._

Oh, no. I gasped as the conclusion finally came to me, the flippant puzzle pieces clicking together. We had to go back to Neferet's past. We had to find what had made her so evil, and use it to destroy her.

Ah, hell.

**Hidden: Chapter 3 UPDATE**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	6. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

_Kalona_

Kalona was way more affected by Nyx's appearance than he had let on—in fact, his body was still trembling, his eyes downcast as he thought about it. The Goddess had appeared before him. She'd acknowledged him. She'd looked in his direction. _She'd said his name. _

Now was not the time to think about such things, so Kalona paid more attention to Aphrodite. The young Prophetess was convulsing and writhing, her head against the table and her eyes closed. It was like she wasn't there, but her body was showing them where she truly was.

"Somebody do something!" Darius said frantically.

"No," Zoey said calmly, her voice the wise tone of a High Priestess. "She'll be fine. She goes through this every day."

Darius sighed, but followed Zoey's command and left Aphrodite alone. Kalona stared at Zoey. She looked beautiful—the very model of the Goddess herself. She reminded him so of Nyx that he moved forward unconsciously. He clenched his fingers to keep himself from moving anymore. Zoey Redbird might be a beautiful incantation of Nyx, but she wasn't his—his killing of Heath Luck had ended any romance between them.

"It was another death vision," Aphrodite was saying, though she was smiling. "But it wasn't a sad death. It was Neferet who died. And you guys don't know how fucking happy I was to see that bitch's eyes finally close for-fucking-ever."

His eyes widened. "It was Neferet who died in your vision?"

Aphrodite nodded, looking a little irritated. "That's what I just said."

Zoey's eyes widened along with Kalona's. "What happened in the vision?" she asked.

Aphrodite stared at Zoey for a moment, then sighed and said, "I had two visions. You killed her in one. In that one, we were standing at the site of the High Council on San Clemente. You were arguing with Neferet. She was yelling back. Thanatos was trying to break the two of you up. Then the door opened and Aurox walked in."

"Aurox?" Kalona was surprised that they'd allow him in—there was Darkness all over him, old Darkness, and the Council wouldn't be blind to that.

"Yeah, just what I said. Aurox. He demanded the tight-assed High Council—"Aphrodite avoided Thanatos's sharp, angered gaze—"to make him human. He said he was done with Neferet and that he didn't ally with Darkness anymore. Then Kalona and Thanatos grabbed hands. Kalona, looks like you get over A-ya real fast." Kalona looked at Zoey, thinking of how beautiful she looked right now, and knew in his heart and soul that he was far from over A-ya. He was never going to get over her. He'd spent centuries in her arms—and was only free for a couple of months.

"What happened next?" Darius asked his Prophetess, eager to move the conversation away from Zoey's love life.

Aphrodite smiled up at him and continued. "Well, then I went to Neferet's point of view. I will always hate that memory." The Prophetess was genuinely terrified, her eyes downcast and her hands shaking. "Neferet's thoughts are batshit crazy. She wants to start a crazy, huge war with humans and destroy them, and then become the vampyre Goddess. She wants to use Darkness and chaos to destroy Nyx, and take her place. She wants the world to crumble between her fingers."

Kalona thought that Aphrodite's words were familiar. With a sickening jolt, he realized that he had wanted to share this with Neferet—he'd lusted after her only for her power. His gut turned again as he realized that Neferet had to be brought out of power.

"Her thoughts are so horrible. She's totally out of whack. It's like she's swollen with Darkness."

Aphrodite sounded scared, but angry at the same time. The young Prophetess was mean, but wise. She could see the Darkness that hang around Neferet. Kalona did not believe that Aphrodite was even fully human. She didn't know what Nyx's plan was for the girl, but she knew the girl was connected to the Goddess.

"Then Neferet turned on Aurox. She said she knew he was Zoey's Consort. Guess you're right about Heath and Aurox." Zoey stiffened. Something of a smile appeared on the fledgling High Priestess's face—but beside her, Stark's body tensed, and he glared at Aphrodite as though she'd dropped a bomb. "Then Aurox became the bull-thing and attacked Neferet. Neferet tried to murder him, which made Z get pissed. She attacked Neferet with the Guardian Sword. They fought, and it was hard for Z, but eventually she killed Neferet. Well, she didn't die normally. A bunch of Darkness escaped her, which went into Aurox, which then was destroyed. Then Aurox kissed Z."

Stark stiffened again, looking like he wanted to murder Aphrodite.

"Z pushed him off, after about ten seconds of HMS—Hot Make-out Session. Then Stark walked up. He was real pissed at Zoey. He slapped her across her face, hard as hell, and called her a slut-ass bitch. Then he demanded to know why she was kissing Aurox. And then the vision ended. In the other part, it was basically the same thing, accept Neferet attacked Thanatos, and she fought Kalona and he killed her."

All was quiet. Kalona obviously saw that the fledglings and vampyres were confused. Stark was still glaring at Aphrodite, though Kalona did not know why the Guardian was upset with her. Zoey was glaring at Stark. The Poet Laureate Kramisha said, "So now I gotta show y'all my poem." Everyone looked at her, but she was looking at Kalona. She slid the white paper towards him, and said, "I think you need to see this, Kalona. Felt like it was for you."

Kalona grabbed the sheet of paper. His eyes tightened as he stared down at it, but he shook his head and read the poem aloud:

_Use love_  
_And trust_  
_Look_  
_In her past_  
_To find Light_  
_Against Darkness,_  
_Amid hate._  
_Try, Warrior of Nyx_  
_Depose her_  
_Fix her_  
_Return to what is lost_  
_But pay a true cost._  
_In the Darkness_  
_Love can undo_  
_What is done._

"Wait, what?" Shaunee said, confused. "I didn't get any of that."

"Let me see..." Kalona knew this type of poetry—it was not in order properly, to provoke thought on where what should go. He asked for a pencil. After a moment of thought, he jotted down:

_Against Darkness,_  
_Try, Warrior of Nyx_  
_To find Light_  
_Amid hate._

_Look_  
_In her past_  
_Return to what is lost_  
_Depose her_  
_Fix her_  
_But pay a true cost._

_Use love_  
_And trust_  
_Love can undo_  
_What is done._

"It sounds to me like Kalona knows what we have to do," Damien said. The fledgling looked at him. "Don't you?"

"I might." Kalona's eyes were hard. "To me it appears that there is something in Neferet's past—the root of her evil—that we must learn to destroy her. We must use love and trust to reach it. A time will come when we can remove Neferet's immortality, and that time is coming soon—we need to take it." Kalona did understand the poem, and Nyx's message, though some things _were _unclear. How would they look into her past? It wasn't like they could ask her what had happened before she'd been Marked.

Kalona remembered something with a gasp—he could read Neferet's mind. He had never tried, but she could read his, so he should be able to read hers. He knew their connection was still pure since he wasn't firmly rooted to Darkness, so he could try to find the missing pieces of her past within her.

"Read the back." Kalona flipped the paper over:

_Visit the Isle_  
_Convince her to allow love_  
_Or all will be lost._

"The Isle?" Stark, Darius, Zoey, and Aphrodite shared a look as Zoey said the words. "Do you guys think the poem is talking about Skye?"

"It's possible," Darius admitted. "That's the only Isle that's really relevant to us."

"It says _visit the Isle,_" Stark muttered. "So does that mean..."

"We're going back to Skye."

...

**Hidden: UPDATE, Chapter 4**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	7. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

_Lenobia  
_

Following the close sounds of Travis's voice, Lenobia walked toward the dorms. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute, and her eyes were red. She knew she didn't need to see Travis, but she couldn't go one more moment without seeing his face—smelling that wonderful scent of cologne on his skin—hearing the flush of human blood wash through his veins.

"Travis?" she called. She was going to find her human worker, whether her body liked it or not. She braced herself for the desire that would come along with seeing him.

The Horse Mistress was agitated now, because for the past few days she and Travis had been ignoring each other—trying to deny the connection between them. Travis was wise for a human—she had to admit she saw the connection too. It was there, she just didn't want to accept it. She loved Martin and had vowed that she would only love him.

Lenobia saw Travis finally. His long hair was tied back, and there was a grin on his chiseled face. "Lenobia, girl! Look!" he called.

The Horse Mistress quickened her step. "What is it?" she called back.

"Maybe if you woulda looked..." Travis's voice trailed off as Lenobia reached him. She tried to ignore the chills that ran down her spine as she moved so close to him—she hadn't felt this way since she'd been with Martin.

The cowboy looked into her eyes. He stared at her for a long moment, seeming to see into her soul. Lenobia felt the chills in her lower back vibrate all along her body. She felt beautiful and powerful—more so than ever. Finally Travis cleared his throat and muttered, "It's a horse."

Lenobia turned her head and the horse he was speaking of. "Oh!" she squeaked. Travis was beaming, as if he'd known she would be delighted as she crashed into the horse that was standing not too far from the stables.

He was tall, and the same deep gold as the sunrise. Lenobia could see that the horse was well-muscled and taken care of. The horse's mane was perfectly brushed and looked amazing. The horse's dark eyes seemed to stare back at her. The horse lowered one of his shoulders, as if to say, _Ride me, Lenobia! Ride me and prove yourself worthy._

She looked up at Travis and couldn't help feeling angry at him—and angry with herself for being angry at him. She'd not talked to the cowboy in days, was pushing him away when the reality of the situation was that she _did _want him. She wanted him more than anyone else—the same way she'd wanted Martin. But she couldn't bear have him. There was no way. Unless Travis—

Lenobia climbed atop the majestic horse. "Thoroughbred, I can tell," she announced. "He's well-muscled—extremely good taken care of." Lenobia smiled. She loved it when people cared for horses instead of just feeding them and brushing them.

Suddenly she felt Travis climb atop the horse, sliding in behind her, and she drew in a sharp breath as the cowboy scooted closer to her. The warmth of his body sent the chills along her back again. But she didn't have time to think about it. Just when Travis moved a little closer, the horse took off, his hard hooves pounding against the magickal grounds of the House of Night. Riding him almost felt as magickal as when she had ridden Bonnie—less complicated and more_ fun_. Horses and happiness were all she cared about, and she would never let go of the happiness. A sharp breath escaped Lenobia's lips as she held fast to the beautiful mare. Then the mare slowed, and trotted to a stop.

Travis had obviously felt the magick of it too. He was breathing hard. Lenobia slid off the horse._I wonder what his name is_, she thought._I wonder who he is_. In her head, she decided to call the horse Alexandria—he somehow reminded her of the ancient vampyre Priestess Cleopatra's lost mate.

Travis was standing behind her. "Lenobia, girl," he whispered, closing the space between them. "Please. You can't deny that there's a connection between us, girl. It's there, just like the moon's in the sky right now. I love you." He sounded astonished, as though he hadn't expected himself to say the words. "I love you, girl."

Lenobia found herself leaning forward, as if her body had taken control of her mind. She closed her eyes, sighing, and met Travis in a kiss. She couldn't control her feelings for him anymore—they were too strong and too wild. This love was too familiar. Once they'd broken, she pressed her fingernails to the cowboy's neck, drawing blood and opening a cut there. The cut was wide enough. Before she could stop herself, she began drinking deeply in Travis's blood.

Travis moaned with pleasure and opened his legs. He wrapped them around Lenobia and began thrusting his hips out. Lenobia felt the pleasure too. It was deep inside her body, like a forest fire, burning across her heart, burning away every stitch of regret she'd felt since she'd lost Martin. She found herself drinking deeply in his blood, reveling in the taste. Eventually, she drew back from him, panting, her eyes wide.

And that was the moment in which Lenobia, the Horse Mistress of Nyx, Imprinted with Travis Foster.

That was also the moment she remembered that perilous day—the day she had lost her Martin. She heard her words in her ears: _I'll never love another man_.

She'd broken her vow.

Lenobia stormed away from Travis, tears already beginning to form in her eyes.

_Stevie Rae_

She was waiting patiently for him at the grate. She smiled as Rephaim hurled himself into her arms. Kalona grinned at him, and Rephaim smiled back. Stevie Rae knew she hadn't really believed Kalona was firmly on their side before, but then when she saw the brightness of the immortal's smile she knew he had hearkened back to the Goddess finally—though his wings were still night-colored. But would Kalona get a chance to be the Warrior of Nyx again?

As she stared into his eyes, Stevie Rae knew that that wasn't what Kalona wanted. He wanted to traffic with Light, but he could never be the Warrior of Nyx. He'd always be jealous of Erebus. But maybe _could_ follow the path of Light. He could love. He loved Rephaim, and his son loved him.

Stevie Rae smiled at the both of them. "Come on," she said. "We need to get back." She grabbed hold of Rephaim's arm and pulled him into a sweet kiss, all of her love evaporating from her and absorbing into him. She knew she would never be able to let Rephaim go, no matter how strong she was.

Kalona smiled and looked away as if he was seeing a porno he really didn't want to watch. And then Stevie Rae remembered that _Rephaim's dad_ _was sitting right in front of them._

"Oh, er, um." Stevie Rae thought Rephaim was blushing, but she couldn't tell with the darker tone of his skin. "I.."

"C'mon, you guys. Let's go back to the tunnels," Stevie Rae said gently, tugging on Rephaim's arm. With a graceful sweep of her hair, the Red Vampyre High Priestess, her Consort, and his father all returned to the safety of their depot—their House of Night.

_Venus_

Venus shook her head again as Erik walked towards the grate with Shaylin. Jealousy filled her as she stared at them. But Erik and Venus had broken up. They weren't together, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel jealous.

That didn't mean she didn't feel used. Like Erik had treated her as a piece of tissue—snotted on her, balled her up and thrown her away after he was finished with her.

Venus rolled her eyes. "I wonder how Shaylin sees me," she wondered as she applied her makeup. "She probably thinks I'm just the last bitch."

Venus headed out into the dark, cold night, stepping out of the grate and away from the shielding of the depot. She needed time to herself—clarity. She needed to think about what she was going to do about Erik.

She was glad to be broken up with him, she realized. She didn't want to be in a relationship with such a two-timing jerk, and she hoped Shaylin caught onto that. She smiled, staring up at the sun. Nyx's moon stared down at her and she knew that no matter what, she would always have the Goddess.

As Venus stared up at the beautiful moon, she heard small footfalls behind her. She turned, and gasped.

It was the creature Neferet had created to use against Zoey and her gang. Aurox. The creature's eyes glowed silver, the color of moonstones. She had to admit, he was beautiful. His dark blonde hair billowed around his face. He smiled sadly at Venus, as if he didn't want to do what he was about to do but had no choice. Then he grabbed her neck, twisted her head listlessly to one side, and snapped it, instantly ending her life.

Venus's soul exploded from her body. When the darkness cleared she was standing in a beautiful field of flowers. Nyx wasn't too far from her. The Goddess was beautiful. Her long, dark hair flowed around her, though there was no breeze. Her bottomless black eyes shined with love and beauty. Her curves, though thick, were bountiful. Venus had never seen a woman so beautiful.

"_Hello, Venus." _Nyx smiled at Venus. _"Welcome to my realm. You may leave your past regret behind and be happy, truly happy."_

Venus grinned and ran into Nyx's arms, forgetting the past and finally letting herself be happy.

_Aurox_

He killed the red fledgling without thought.

He snapped her neck quickly, just for food—he had not fed since killing Becca—and fed in her terror, her anger, and her desperation. Aurox fed deeply from this fledgling. She wasn't thinking rationally, and she would have probably committed suicide anyway—it was better to give her a happy ending.

He didn't care if the fledglings and vampyres who resided in the depot saw him, but for Zoey he quietly tucked the body behind trees, where it would not be seen—he doubted anyone would even notice that she was dead. He snuck off into the waiting Darkness, a mocking ring of laughter echoing from the epicenter of his spirit...

_Stark_

Stark didn't give a fuck about Thanatos. He didn't give a fuck about Kalona—in fact, he was still angry with everyone around him for trusting in the immortal so quickly; he could still be allied with Neferet—and he really didn't give a fuck about Aphrodite or anyone else at the moment. All he cared about was Zoey—his Ace—whether or not she was safe. Darkness was manipulative. It played you like chess—only you were the pawn and it was the queen. Light was kind, benevolent, and good. Not malevolent like the Dark.

The Dark he'd once been deeply involved with.

Sometimes Stark thought that Darkness still had a hold over him. He felt an... eerie presence in his soul. The presence wasn't controlling him, but it was there. Stark had felt it a lot more since they'd come back from the reveal ritual, as though it had strengthened. He grimly rubbed his chest, the center of the problem—right where his heart was.

Zoey entered their room. His _bann ri_ looked beautiful in her pajamas. Her brown eyes, however, were ringed with dark circles. Her shoulders sagged as though she was incredibly tired. Stark could understand why. Her role was immense; she was the High Priestess, though Thanatos had named herself the High Priestess of the House of Night.

He grinned up at Z. He'd been very cryptic and alone lately, and he was trying to open up to her—to show her how much he believed in her.

The Guardian Sword glowed dimly in her hands. It had been by her side since Erebus had given it to her. Stark had been shocked, and he still was. Nyx wanted _Zoey_ to kill Neferet? Shouldn't that have been _his_ job? He was the Guardian here, wasn't he? A small pang of anger had run through him, and of jealousy. Because Nyx hadn't chosen him to do a job that he should've had the right to do.

Stark knew the Sword felt warm in her fingertips. He could tell by the sweat on her palms. The Sword had warmed just before he'd fought Kalona in the Otherworld, and it always did in moments of importance. The Sword's blade glittered eerily, almost ethereally, as if someone was trying to tell them something.

"Hey, Stark," Zoey said. She climbed into bed beside him and snuggled closer to him, setting the sword on the floor beside their bed. Her brown eyes skewered him—she looked amused.

"Hey." He allowed himself to kiss her. The jealousy and anger he felt instantly faded away as he lost himself in Zoey. She had always had this effect on him—it was like she was his medicine when he was sick.

She was the one to pull away, which surprised him. She never ended kisses—at least not recently she didn't. But that could change. There'd been a lot of changes lately.

Stark grinned at his Ace, his Zoey. "We have to get ready for school," he said. "We should probably go before we get too tangled up."

"'Kay," Zoey said, grinning at him. Climbing out of the bed, she stepped around the Guardian Sword on the floor, and ran to the bathroom to get dressed. Stark stared after her for a short while before he gently reached down and touched the Guardian Sword. He had only touched the blade, which was burning hot, to his surprise, before he was taken back...

_Neferet_

_Neferet sat up in bed, trying to forget the painful events of last night. Her father was desperately abusive. Neferet thought she could see a black light surrounding him this night—almost like a mist. Was he the devil come to earth or something? Neferet wasn't overly religious, but her mother had taught her to believe, to worship._

_Neferet swung her long legs out from under her warm, comfortable covers and sat up. She went to her window, which was slightly ajar. There stood Jonathan. Her heart warmed. She liked to call him her boyfriend. Their relationship was very serious—they were in love—but they were carefree and always flirting and playing around. Jonathan, who she loved to call Johnny, beamed at her. He was so handsome. His brown curls were in his face, and his muscular body was out—he'd come to her shirtless, as he did most of the time._

_"Hey, Neferet." Johnny grinned, that sexy gentleman smile that made her heart warm. Johnny was the only thing keeping him from suicide, and he knew it, so he tried to make her happy as often as possible. Though Sicily was not a very exciting city, it contained Johnny, and that was enough. Johnny had moved here from America six years ago, and he was there to stay. His American accent was rubbing off on her._

_"Hey, Johnny," Neferet said, smiling back at him. "I'm so happy to see you._

_"What's up? Are you getting tired of your father?" Johnny looked big and bad and ready to take on the gods. His muscular biceps flexed._

_"No," Neferet lied. Then she sighed, nodding. "Yes. But you know that. I've been tired of him."_

_Johnny sighed. "I'd kill him if I could."_

"_I know." Neferet's voice was full of longing. She wanted Johnny to ensure that her father never breathed again for what he had done to her. Looking down at the scars that lined her body, she felt a terrifying shiver. Her father abused her every night, since her mother had died. It was almost like he'd needed to find a new wife to beat. _

_"I love you, Johnny. You get me through the day and I wanted to tell you that." She smiled at him. _

"_I love you too, and I just want you to know how much I care about you, Neferet. I would..." Suddenly her father's black car whipped up in the mansion's driveway, and whatever he'd been about to say was cut off._

_"No!" Neferet cried. "Go, Johnny!" She pushed him away from the window, but it was too late. Her father's car door opened, and out stepped her father. He stormed toward where Johnny was awkwardly standing outside her window. _

_"Neferet! What have you gotten yourself into?" her father snapped. "I told you not to consort with anybody in this town, and you're doing it! I should kill you!"_

_"Father, I—" But it was too late. Her father struck her across the face. Hard. A large red welt was forming in the area where he'd hit her—she could feel it. She blinked back the pain. "I was just..." _

"_Shut the fuck up, you little whore!" her father roared. _

_"Hey, man! What the heck?" Johnny roared. He grabbed her father and punched him in the face._

_Suddenly her father pulled out a knife and slashed Johnny across the throat. He slashed him deeply, drawing blood—dark red blood. The darker the blood, the deeper the wound. Johnny gasped, falling to his knees and eventually the ground. _

"_Johnny!" Neferet screamed. _

_Her father bent over, sneering in Johnny's face. "That is for putting your hands on my daughter. Do not ever think about it again."_

"_I... will," Johnny croaked. "Don't... count... on me... not."_

_Johnny could have lived, but his mouth was so big that he couldn't resist saying something rebellious, and his comment gave her father the excuse to send the knife straight into his gut._

_"NO!" Neferet screamed. "Johnny! No!"_

_Her father grinned at her, edging toward her menacingly. His hands went straight for his pants. She knew that look._

_..._

_Neferet awakened to the sound of... what was that? Was it hooves? Yes, hooves, crunching against the grass. Neferet had worked with horses and cows when she was younger enough to recognize the sound of hooves. She jumped to the window and raised the glass to see a horrendous creature. Her eyes glazed over his sickly white coat and the horns that penetrated his head. His eyes were colored with scarlet, the red of blood._

_"Hello, child." Neferet still bristled at the word child. She wasn't a child; she was fifteen years old. She was terrified, though, so she kept her poker face on._

_"You can talk?" Neferet asked. She wasn't very surprised._

_"I can. I give you the road to your future without your Johnny." A quivering ribbon of darkness descended from the bull onto her hand. "He is dead, and now you have no one to conceal your pain and rage. Your mind will go mad. Just let it happen... Just let your mind work for the Dark."_

_It felt... Good. Right._

_Neferet smiled at the bull, totally eclipsing her fear with relief and safety. He was going to help her overcome the pain of her continuous abuse and rape._

_"Thank you."_

_The huge bull faded. Suddenly a tall white figure approached her. The figure was beautiful in some ways, deadly in others. Then the darkness shifted from the figure and she caught a swiftly beautiful sapphire tattoo pattern. This man was a vampyre!_

_"Neferet Englewood! Night has Chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"_

_The man pointed a long white finger at her and the magickal energy exploded onto her forehead, causing pain and fatigue and for her to black out, the magick shifting inside of her head._

_Stark_

He gasped and opened his eyes. Stark was laying on the floor, his entire body hot. His back was sheen with sweat.

_What had just happened? _His heart was thumping, and he knew that whatever the vision had been, its meaning was important and he needed to tell Zoey about it. He gazed down at the Guardian Sword, and touched it.

It was now freezing cold.


	8. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

_Zoey_

"Stark!" I gasped as I saw Stark lying on the floor of our room. His body was slick with sweat, and he was gasping for air, his face red. I ran over to him.

He was lying flat on his back. He looked deathly pale, as if the blood had been drained from his body. He touched the glittering Guardian Sword gently and recoiled instantly, as if remembering something gruesome. "Stark!" I repeated. He looked up at me. "Z?" he asked hesitantly, as if he didn't believe it was me—like his eyes were deceiving him. I nodded, confused.

"Stark, what's wrong with you?" I gestured to his sweaty body.

"Nothing," he winced. Then he sighed. "No. I can't lie to you, Z. I'm not supposed to lie to you. I saw a vision when I touched that sword." He pointed to the sword, as if I didn't know which sword he was talking about.

"A vision?" I asked, confused. "What type of vision?"

"It wasn't a vision of the future or anything like that," he said softly. He hesitated for a moment before he continued. "It was a vision of the past—Neferet's past." He explained to me what had happened with Neferet in the vision.

"Wow! So that's what Erebus meant. That's why he gave us the Guardian Sword—we can use it to see into Neferet's past," I realized. Erebus had told us that we'd have to "look to Neferet's past" to understand her, and to know how to kill her. Well, destroy her.

"She was good back then—she was with this guy Johnny, and he was keeping her from being evil. Well, before she got allied with the white bull. Guess they've been working together since she was little." Stark winced, as if something hurt him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Stark sat up. His eyes were bloodshot. "My body's just a little sore, that's all."

"So right after the white bull appeared Neferet was Marked?" I asked, shaking my head in disgust. That had to mean that from the beginning, she'd been destined to lead a life allied with Darkness.

"Yeah." Stark nodded. "Then the white bull disappeared and the Tracker appeared and Marked her."

I was trying to grasp the vision in my head. What had Neferet looked like as a teenager? I imagined she was beautiful. I tried to picture her body lined with scars from her father's abuse, her eyes filled with pain, but the image of the beautiful and powerful High Priestess I saw now and the image I'd created of her when she was younger didn't seem to go together.

Suddenly I heard Nyx's benevolent voice in my head: _This is one of seven visions, my Daughter._ _Do not take them for granted, as they will be part of your future—you will use Neferet's love to destroy her, though it may be harder than you thought..._

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but her presence had already faded. I glanced over at Stark. His face looked regular. His eyes had cleared up. He looked well and whole again.

"Nyx just told me there were only six more visions," I said. "Which means you'll have to touch the sword and go through what you just went through six more times."

Stark blinked. Then something like fear flashed across his face at the thought of enduring whatever he'd endured. I felt sorry for him, so I moved my hand to cover his.

Stark's eyes tightened when I touched him. "Recently, I've felt like I was fading away from you. Like the love I have for you is going away. And I don't know what to do to stop it." Stark looked and sounded so much older than eighteen that my lip quivered, and I realized I was actually on the edge of tears. "I feel like or connection is fading."

"It's not," I whispered. "There's no way it could fade because I love you, Stark. I love you, and I always will."

I kissed him first. Then slowly I guided Stark to the bed, still kissing him. I lost myself in Stark right then. His warm flesh mixed with my own chilled flesh and he held me in his arms. His lips were a question mark, wondering what I was doing, but I answered with an exclamation point. I wanted Stark more than anything I'd ever wanted in the world, and I didn't care if Aurox was Heath—I would always want Stark this way. I surrendered to desire and temptation then, and also love. Always love. And Stark and I made love in a bubble of angst and heat.

_Rephaim_

He was very ecstatic as he walked quickly through the quiet hallways of the depot, but Rephaim didn't make a sound. He was actually prepared to go to school—and his father was coming with him. And the best part about it was that his father would be a teacher at the school—and he had a class that Kalona was teaching (even though he was only the Fencing teacher in Dragon's place).

Rephaim reached the kitchen and smiled at a sleepy-looking Damien. "Hey, Rephaim." Damien smiled. His eyes looked tired and somewhat sad—they had never really looked happy since Jack's death—but he still looked ready for their day of school.

Rephaim smiled. "Hello, Damien," he said. Being around the fledgling always brought Rephaim happiness because Damien's aura was so nice, and so calm.

Aphrodite and Darius breezed into the room together, holding hands. Aphrodite's hair, for once, was not swept casually behind her shoulders; today it was up in a bun, and she looked tired. What had happened between Aphrodite and Darius? "Hey," the Prophetess said softly, surprising him. He offered a weak "Hello" and turned back to Damien. "So... what do you believe Neferet will be doing when we return to the House of Night?" he asked quietly. "I'm sure she won't just be okay with the fact that we got away with the reveal ritual."

"Uh..." Damien shrugged. "I don't know. She always pulls a new one on me. Neferet has the skill of surprise." A flash of pain crossed his eyes, for his Jack. Rephaim felt incredibly bad, though he hadn't done anything to the boy. But he _had_ previously been allied with the Dark forces that had. He'd been a monster—and so had his father.

But both Kalona and Rephaim were on the side of Light now. They'd given up their past Darkness, asked the Goddess to forgive them—and she'd answered. Gratefully. Rephaim would not take back that incredible moment where she'd changed him to a human for the world.

Stevie Rae entered the kitchen. She looked tired, but when she saw Rephaim, a slow, seductive smile came to her face. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently, making his heart beat faster as it always did when she kissed him. Rephaim grinned at her and said, "Good morning, Stevie Rae."

"Good mornin', Rephaim." Stevie Rae smiled gently at him as she fully stirred.

"Okay. No inappropriate kissing. Please. That's way too much. I do not fucking need to see you too swallowing each other in the morning," Aphrodite complained. Rephaim raised an eyebrow. "How were we swallowing each other?"

"It means we were all over each other." Stevie Rae kissed his cheek, then turned to face Aphrodite—well, glare at Aphrodite imploringly. "Shouldn't you be all over Darius right now? Seeing how that's your Warrior, and you _love _him."

Rephaim smiled. He and Stevie Rae looked at each other, threading their fingers together. Rephaim hoped that as long as he lived, he would not have to be apart from his Red One.

_Zoey_

"Okay, so you guys have got to know that we're walking right into a crap-storm." I sniffed. "Neferet's gonna be pissed that Kalona's on our side and that we convinced Thanatos that she's evil. She'll try to make it seem like we're on the side of Darkness, or some other big act that everybody will believe. As usual." I rolled my eyes, exasperated with Neferet's act. The Tsi Sgili was so beautiful and guileless on the outside, but evil and rotten on the inside. It was like she was a bad apple—shining and polished on the outside, but there are worms on the inside.

"I know," Rephaim said. I turned to him. "The Tsi Sgili must be brought out of power. She cannot be allowed to continue doing what she's doing."

"The question is, just how the hell do we get her out of power?" Aphrodite mused.

"That's something we'll find out soon, Prophetess." Kalona and Thanatos breezed in. Thanatos's dark hair was pushed behind her shoulders. She was wearing a long, sleeveless black dress. Kalona was half-naked as always, only wearing a dark pair of jeans. Usually I could ignore his beauty, but for some reason, my eyes kept being pulled back to his full, cute lips and his muscular chest. _No, _I told myself firmly. _I cannot like Kalona again—he killed Heath. _

"Hello, Rephaim," Kalona said. His amber eyes fixed me. "Hello, Zoey, my little A-ya."

I could feel everyone's eyes on me, especially Stevie Rae and Stark. When I turned, Stevie Rae's eyes were wide and Stark was glaring at Kalona with what looked like anger. At least he was mad at me, and not her. I was confused by Stevie Rae's expression, though.

"Hi, Kalona. And my name isn't A-ya anymore. It's Zoey Redbird. A-ya is a part of me, but not the main part." I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him, though I wasn't actually mad.

"Very well. I shall call you 'Zoey'." Kalona said. "Either name works for me, Priestess." I smiled tentatively at him and tried to stop looking at his muscled chest. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Z? I need to have a BFF talk with ya." Stevie Rae grinned at Kalona before pulling me to one side. "Z, please don't start fallin' for Kalona again. No matter how Light he is, he could still change sides. You shouldn't be with him. What's gotten into you? He, Killed. Heath. And almost killed Stark too!" Stevie Rae grabbed my shoulders and shook them, as if to wake me up.

But I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about the cold fire of Kalona's touch; the kindness in his eyes today; how tall and perfect he was... his sexy, muscular abs and biceps... the way he'd smiled and how full and sexy his lips were... those beautiful eyes... his ass...

"Zoey." Stevie Rae woke me up. "Stop." Her voice was hard. I then realized that if Kalona and I began dating, I'd be going out with Stevie Rae's Consort's dad—which, when I thought of it that way, seemed kinda icky. I realized that had been the reason for her expression earlier.

"Stevie Rae." I grasped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "There's a part of me that loves him, even though I can't control it. Since he's come back into the Light, I just..." I felt miserable. What was wrong with me? "I look at him and see exactly what I want. He's so hot and so sweet and he cares about Rephaim. But I try not to be with him, because he killed Heath, and the truth is that he may just be acting. His wings haven't changed color yet—he could still be on the side of Darkness for all we know. I won't trust him, even if I do like him. And I'll try as hard as possible not to be with him. Okay?"

Stevie Rae sighed but nodded. "Okay. Now come on before they get suspicious."

I nodded. We walked back into the kitchen and saw that everyone was waiting impatiently for us. "Ready?" Aphrodite snapped. "Took you two long enough."

"Sorry," we muttered at the same time.

"Come on." Surprising me, Rephaim grabbed Stevie Rae's arm and literally pulled her towards the grate, as if he was angry with her. Aphrodite and Darius walked behind them, along with Thanatos, Stark, Erin (who had been quiet most of this time and looked kinda irritated), Shaunee, and Kramisha. The rest of the red fledglings were all already standing outside.

Kalona stayed behind. "Walk with me, Zoey. We must discuss something that I've been meaning to discuss with you." Kalona touched my shoulder, and a shiver of warmth touched my spine, though his touch was cool. _Cold fire..._

"Uh—okay." I tried to fight back the attraction I was feeling for him. Why is he turning me on? He. Killed. Heath!

Aphrodite and Stevie Rae turned around. "Go ahead, you guys, Kalona wants to talk to me," I called. Stevie Rae narrowed her eyes but kept walking, while Aphrodite shook her head and turned around. Anger pierced my soul. Why were they so angry at _me_? It wasn't my fault _A-ya _liked him and it was affecting me!

"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked, keeping my voice businesslike. If I sounded professional, there was no reason for Kalona to want me. I also drew away from him, standing as far as I could without being too obvious.

Kalona stared at me for a long moment. "Do you remember that dream I sent you, Zoey?" he asked me. "The one when we were on the roof of Capri, and I told you to choose me? That the wheat would be destroyed and the chaff would be left behind?"

"Of course I remember," I told him, surprised. I thought back to the seductive dream. Kalona's hands had been all over me, feeling my body, touching my breasts and fingering me. It sent chills of desire down my spine just to think about it.

"I've been thinking about... what you said."

"What did I say?"

"You told me that you would not betray your Goddess by giving into me." Kalona moved closer to me, but for some reason I couldn't move away from him. The cold heat of his body sent my own trembling, struggling to fight my attraction for him. "Giving into me now would not be betraying your Goddess—we are on the same side. I swear it."

"Kalona..." I whispered. "I can't do this. I can't... go here with you." His muscular chest was almost pressed against mine now. His body was so glorious, so gorgeous, that I wanted to forget everything and have sex with him until I couldn't breathe anymore. I wanted him to make me forget my own name. I wanted him to kiss me.

The violent desire caught me off guard, but I tried to ignore it as he spoke. "Why, Zoey?" Once again, his use of my name sent electricity along my body. Just as it had in the first dream.

"I have... Stark. And... Heath." Somehow, the two names brought anger to his eyes. "I love Stark, Kalona. He's my whole life, and he's who I want. And I love Heath, and he may or may not be Aurox."

"Those other men are irrelevant," Kalona snapped. "Zoey, we are destined to be together—I can feel it."

"Thanatos." Some of his anger faded when I said her name. The look in his eyes was proof enough. I continued, satisfied. "You like Thanatos—I can tell."

"She's my High Priestess. I'm her Warrior. That's all that's between us." His beautiful lips lifted in a smile, as if he was amused by my jealousy. "Nothing more. Nothing less."

"Kalona..." His name caused my body to tremble. I gasped as he wrapped his arms around me, moving closer to me. Our bodies were pressed up against each other, so I could feel his hard, muscular chest against mine. His gorgeous lips were tilted up in a smile as his sweet breath blew against my face. "Zoey."

"Kalona..." I didn't know what to say. There was nothing then but Kalona and I. I couldn't think about Stark, and I couldn't think about Aurox—or Heath for that matter. All that was on my mind was Kalona.

_His love consumes you, _Nyx whispered softly. _I admit it—the two of you would be a fit match. He makes you question everything you think you know about your life. You make him regret ever being Dark. He sees me in you. He loves you, Zoey. _

I gasped softly, my breath coming out ragged.

"What is it?" Kalona whispered.

"Nyx... She talked to me." My gut was telling me to do some serious editing on what the Goddess had said. "She said... she said to be happy."

And in the most plain sense, wasn't that what she'd said? That she believed Kalona and I were a fit match? That if I wanted to be happy, I would take Kalona for what he was? That we should be together?

I thought about how mad Stark would be if I left him for another guy. Then I thought about how Heath would say that even if Kalona was Light, I still shouldn't trust him—or be with him. I took a deep breath and broke away from Kalona.

"Zoey..." His voice was pained. I was hurting him. I closed my eyes. Should I turn around and make him happy—make myself happy? Or should I keep hurting him and be happy with Stark or Aurox?

"Don't," I whispered.

"Why?" he mused.

And then I realized. _My _emotions were the ones that counted. And they were screaming at me to do it.

So I turned around and kissed Kalona. Our lips met in a heat of passion and love. He seemed surprised at first, but he caught on instantly, and my legs locked around his waist, feeling his rock-hard manhood against me. With speed I hadn't known he had, he pressed me against the wall as I kissed him and bit his lips and prepared to make love to him.

Just at that moment, Aphrodite rounded the corner and saw us. "Um... Zoey? Kalona? We need to go."

I broke from Kalona, embarrassed. My cheeks flushed red. However, Kalona was smiling, his eyes victorious.

"Come on," I told him.

...

**Hidden, Updated: Chapter Six**

_I added a Zoey/Kalona _moment. _I thought their romance needed a better ending, which I will give. Love you guys!_

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	9. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

_Aphrodite_

Aphrodite just didn't understand. She shook her head in disgust as she pandered back to the bus, utterly and totally confused. Zoey's attraction to Kalona was something she couldn't quite get, and never would. And she'd just seen the fledgling High Priestess all over him—more so than she would ever be with Stark. She understood that Zoey had a special weakness for Kalona because of the maiden A-ya deep within her soul, but for crying out loud, the man was a killer. He'd killed Heath! And now because he'd chosen Light he was suddenly available? Anger burned through Aphrodite's veins, and she wanted to turn around and snap on Zoey as they walked back to the bus.

Aphrodite cared about and loved Zoey more than she let on—in truth, Zoey was like a sister to her. She didn't want Zoey to be hung up on Kalona, but she knew in her soul that because of the Cherokee maiden, she could never just forget him. But what did that mean for she and him? Were they dating now? What had the scene she'd just witnessed even meant? Wasn't Zoey dating Stark?

Aphrodite closed her eyes against the huge headache she could feel coming on. She stomped onto the bus, walking past all the gawking faces demanding to know where Kalona and Zoey had gone, and sat down right next to her man. "Darius," she said, looking at the Warrior sitting next to her. She raised an eyebrow at him when she realized that he was only wearing a muscle shirt and a pair of jeans—very unlike Darius, who usually dressed as impeccably as possible. But the muscle shirt didn't help her mood. She was staring at his perfect musculature instead of looking at him.

Aphrodite hated the damn visions. Okay, they were the only reason—no, _one of the_ only reasons—why she was so special to Nyx—why she was still a part of Zoey's circle. Well, Zoey's circle and the extras, who weren't exactly in but weren't exactly out either. Did that category fit her now? Was she just an extra?

Aphrodite realized that she'd never said what she wanted to say to Darius. "Darius." He looked at her. "Zoey's been throwing her boys around like they're balled-up tissues lately. I just wanted to tell you I'd never do that to you," she admitted, her cheeks warming at actually being _nice _for once in a while. It was like her whole body flooded with warmth, and she was no longer the ice queen that she was twenty-four/seven.

He smiled at her and his gaze was so full of love and warmth that she had to grin back, happiness flooding through her—Goddess, that felt good. "I love you, Aphrodite," Darius promised. "I will always love you, even after I cease to be."

"I love you, too. Protect me today, okay? Well, I mean, if Nyx decides she has some crazy shit planned for us, you know what to do."

Darius nodded. "I do. Protecting you is my job description, Priestess—whatever it comes with, I take."

"I'm not a Priestess. I'm Vision Girl, remember? I'd like to be called Vision Girl." She was still smiling, because it was so hard _not _to like Darius. He was such a gentleman—sweet—kind—caring to her when no one else had been. She remembered the terror she'd felt only a month ago when she'd realized she was falling in love with him. That was now gone. All she could feel now was anticipation for the love to finally fall—for her to be done _falling. _She'd been scared of getting hurt before, but she could see now that Darius wasn't going to hurt her. She smiled widely at the realization.

"Very well. Vision Girl." Darius grinned again at her sudden happiness as the bus came to a gentle stop.

"Come on. Let's walk right into the fucking shit storm." Aphrodite grabbed her Warrior's hand and tugged him to the front of the bus, ready to take on the world if it meant he would be by her side.

_Zoey_

Okay, so yeah, I'd just nearly had sex with Kalona and all, and I was certain Thanatos knew about it, but I was really hoping the High Priestess wasn't mad at me. I was scared even—I stayed away from her during the bus ride, and Kalona. I sat with Stark, even. He didn't look mad either. Why was everybody acting like they couldn't smell the scent on the two of us? I didn't know if Kalona and Thanatos were an item, but I knew they liked each other.

The High Priestess didn't seem mad in the slightest. She was looking idly on as we stepped out of the bus, walking quickly, her strides long and determined. Aurox was standing beside the house of night, his moonstone-colored eyes glistening. At the sight of him, my seer stone warmed almost instantly.

"No way." I shook my head. Just a few days ago I had seen Heath's soul inside Aurox, and since then I hadn't seen him. I'd been worrying about it ever since. His closeness was making my body shiver, and then I thought with anger that this couldn't be Heath. Heath wouldn't make me feel frightened—feel hesitant—want to leave him. He might make me angry, but that's what had been unique about me and Heath's relationship—he knew how to tick me off, but I always went back to him; it was like I couldn't get over him.

I grabbed my seer stone. The stone warmed even more, turning burning hot, the closer I got to Aurox. Every step I took, the seer stone burned me a little until I finally raised the stone to my eye. As soon as I took a deep breath and looked through the stone at him, the heat faded—the stone was almost freezing cold again. Just at that moment, Neferet burst from the House of Night.

"There will be a Council meeting," she announced, her eyes amused as she stared at Aurox. "The Council wants to talk to us, and I'm sure you all want to be there." There was fear in her eyes suddenly, not for us, of course, but for herself—what if the High Council called her on her BS and she was outed? But before I could say anything to her, she turned and walked away, her heels clicking loudly.

Thanatos was beside me as we walked into the school. I was still hesitant around her, but I didn't want to seem suspicious, so I listened as she talked. "You do know that Neferet will try to fight us. We still have to decipher the meaning of Nyx's warning." She shook her head, confused.

But we already knew what Nyx had meant—or at least Stark and I did. I realized I hadn't told anyone about last night yet. There had been a lot of lovemaking—hot lovemaking at that—but that hadn't been enough to get it off my mind. My eyes closed, remembering the look in Stark's eyes—vacant, almost scared, when I'd never seen him scared before.

"I—" I began to tell her about what had happened, but as we entered the Chamber I caught sight of a crying Lenobia, so I shut up. She had her eyes closed, her face flushed like she was hot. When she heard Thanatos, Stevie Rae, Kramisha, Aphrodite and I enter the room she opened her eyes, sucked air and said, "Is Dragon Lankford dead?"

"Yes," I said. "He and Anastasia are together again." As I spoke I knew in my soul the words still held true—the vision we'd seen was a message and Anastasia and Dragon were reunited. I smiled sadly at Lenobia. "Dragon is in the Otherworld with my mom, and Jack, and his Anastasia."

"Who killed him?" Lenobia's snap surprised me. She sounded almost angry—the words seemed to be stuck in her throat, like they were forced.

"Aurox," I answered. I saw Lenobia's eyes tighten, but then widen with confusion. She opened her mouth to speak, but then Neferet waltzed in. She looked gorgeous as usual, her red hair long and in waves, her green eyes guileless and open, yet fierce and ready to take on the world. It was so scary how innocent Neferet looked when she was so twisted and rotten inside.

"I heard of Dragon's death," the Tsi Sgili said. "I am very sorry." I saw in her eyes that she was genuine, and that was probably only because she needed Dragon on her side. _Goddess, I hate Neferet with a burning passion._

"Neferet, you have been accused by a member of the High Council for giving yourself to Darkness." Thanatos's sharp voice made me look back at her. "You will be stripped of your title of High Priestess and shunned by all vampyres. You will be imprisoned." Thanatos looked like a fierce, true High Priestess. Her hair was slightly lifted, as if it was prepared to rise and attack her.

"You cannot shun me. The whole Council must agree to this." The smug tone of Neferet's voice made my mouth dry up. "And you have no proof that I committed any atrocity."

"Fine." Stevie Rae was holding Damien's laptop. I hadn't noticed, but since we'd entered the room, she'd been turning it on. She had a hard look in her eyes, of determination. She clicked on Skype, sending a call to the High Council before Neferet could disagree. "We'll see what their verdict is."

Pride for Stevie Rae swelled up in my throat. She was a true High Priestess, and connected to Nyx—though she'd doubted herself in the past.

"Hello." Duantia's smooth-as-silk voice penetrated the laptop as the High Council answered the call. I wondered what they did all day—send vampyres off to their deaths? Watch _True Blood _over tea? "Merry meet, Stevie Rae. Merry meet, Zoey." I looked at the screen, and saw the faces of all seven Council members. Their laptop must be huge, for it to fit all seven of them.

"Merry meet," we both chimed. We fisted our hands over our hearts and bowed quickly but respectfully to the High Priestesses.

The High Priestess and Leader of the High Council looked to Thanatos. "Merry meet, Thanatos," Duantia said.

"Merry meet, Duantia." Thanatos didn't bow.

"Merry meet, Duantia," Neferet repeated. She didn't bow either, which caused Thanatos to raise an eyebrow, though if Duantia had an opinion on this, she didn't voice it. "Merry meet, Neferet. Now, what is the reason for this call?"

I wanted to hug Stevie Rae, but I stood tall and firm as a High Priestess should and kept my eyes on Duantia. "Priestess, it appears that Thanatos has proved that Neferet is with Darkness." Stevie Rae sounded so much like a High Priestess that even Neferet cringed away from the sincerity in her voice.

"Darkness!" Neferet scoffed, looking at the High Council members like _these children have no idea what they're talking about_. "I do not traffic with Darkness."

"In fact," Thanatos chimed in, "it appears that Neferet is referring to the white bull of Darkness as her Consort—the two may even keep up romantic pretenses."

Thanatos told Duantia everything about the Ritual, the vision we'd seen, how Kalona was now Thanatos's Warrior, and the parts Neferet didn't know: the vision of Nyx and Erebus we'd seen. I wanted to speak up about Stark's vision, but something told me not to tell the Council just yet, so I kept my mouth shut. After Thanatos finished, Duantia was silent for a long moment.

"Neferet, I believe Thanatos—she's a trusted member of this Council, and I've known her since I was a fledgling. She is telling the truth." I gasped. Finally someone believed us. It didn't hit immediately, but I could feel it building in my stomach and knew that I was going to have a freak-out moment in a few minutes. "You are to come to Venice in ten days. Bring nothing but a suitcase of clothes. Stevie Rae, you will resume your position as the first Red High Priestess. Thanatos, you are now the High Priestess of the Tulsa House of Night, and Kalona is your Warrior and Consort." Duantia paused for a moment, then continued. "Zoey, I would like you and your circle to come to Italy as well—we'll determine your status at a later time. Stevie Rae, you may come too. Also bring the first Red Poet Laureate—" I heard Kramisha expel a sigh of relief— "and the Prophetess." Duantia's eyes flashed with what looked like anger. Then she glared at Neferet. "Neferet, prepare for your sentencing. Crimes against the white bull will have you shunned from all vampyrekind." The call ended, with one final cutoff noise, before anyone could say anything.

Wow. I'd bested Neferet, and finally we were getting what we'd wanted. She'd been shunned from vampyre society, and was now barely considered a vampyre. Sgiach would have been proud.

_Sgiach..._

I remembered Kramisha's poem. "We're going to Italy." I smiled sarcastically at Neferet; her eyes were full of anger, but she didn't say anything. I turned back to Stevie Rae. My BFF was grinning. "But first we have to visit an Ace."

"So, we're going to Skye?" Stark said from across the room, moving closer to me.

"We're going to Skye."

_Kalona_

He didn't know why he was feeling so down. He was on the side of the Goddess, once again. He was a Warrior again as well—beloved by the circle that had once fought against him. He'd kissed Zoey today—the feelings of her lips against his sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine. He had finally, after years of rage and pain and destruction, turned from Darkness. He was doing what was right. So why was he feeling sad?

Ragged, rough emotions battered Kalona as he sat up, remembering waking up to look at Neferet's face. Not a good memory. Kalona was disgusted that her face had even been on his mind.

Kalona remembered once again that had he still been Dark, Rephaim might be dead. He was to thank for Rephaim being alive. His connection with Zoey tied him to Nyx— and to Light—in a way that he never had been before.

He stood up and went quietly to the window. Opening it, he flew out into the night, rejoicing the calm serenity of the night that reminded Kalona so of Nyx that it pained him. He remembered feeling the sky's open arms, and letting it take him when he was down, or angered about something. This was a completely different feeling. Now, it wasn't like he was embracing the sky—the sky was embracing him.

Kalona said, "Light. Please come to me. I need to speak with you." The air quivered, and shivered, and the Goddess came forth. She looked heartbreakingly beautiful as usual. His body tensed now, at her closeness. He froze, and his eyes widened. Her night-sky eyes were unreadable. She looked, as always, unforgiving and cold. Nyx was the perfect personification of his image of Night. And he didn't know if he would ever see the love in her face again—the blush in her cheeks when he made her laugh—the smile in her eyes when she thought no one was looking.

He tried to think of one thing to say to her—to clear the tense air between them and make things slightly okay—but nothing came to mind. Finally, he lowered his head, unable to look into her eyes, and whispered, "Why did you forgive me? After all I have done to you? I am a horrible person, Nyx. I raped women and abused men and bent my children to my will. Why did you forgive me? I must know. If anything, give me this."

Nyx was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Rise, Kalona." The immortal stood. He didn't act arrogant or confident. He could—_would_—never act like that in front of Nyx. His goddess had always been watching him, and she could see the truth in his eyes now—could see the pain etched across his soul as clearly as one of her Marks. Because the truth was that he still loved her. He still loved her, and he wanted her, more than he would ever admit to anyone.

The Goddess took a deep breath, as if trying to gather her thoughts. Finally, after a long silence, she said softly, "Kalona, I forgave you because forgiveness is a gift I give all. You are not an exception. If you are prepared to take the torch that Light entails, I will not exclude you." Her voice sounded so cold, so formal and polite. So far from what she used to sound like when she talked to him. Kalona knew in that moment, as the ice locked around his heart, that he would always hate himself for what he'd done to her.

"Really? You would forgive Neferet if she were to turn back to you?" Kalona knew the answer before Nyx spoke it.

"Yes—I would. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone should be given a chance to correct them."

"Thank you, my Goddess." He fisted his hand over his heart and bowed formally to her. In that bow, he put every bit of emotion he'd had for the Goddess. She may not love him, but he wanted her to know she would always have his love, even when she couldn't exactly return it.

"You are welcome." The shimmering image of the Goddess disappeared, but before it did, he saw the flash of longing in her eyes. He didn't know what it meant—did she want to stay here with him? Did she love him after all these years?

Kalona couldn't allow himself to think like that. He let himself be comforted by the overwhelming joy he felt. Hot tears were running down his face, but he didn't truly realize he was crying until he sobbed once, utterly ecstatic. He had done the right thing by Nyx and chosen Light. His Goddess had truly forgiven him.

...

Later, Kalona and Zoey stood in front of the airport. Zoey was leaving. The sun was setting, and the tone of the night matched her beautiful brown eyes excellently. Her long, gorgeous hair flowed in the wind. Tonight she looked more beautiful than usual—she looked like Nyx.

"Zoey," Kalona whispered. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to go. But I have to." Zoey moved closer to him. "You should come with us."

"With you? No. I have to stay with Thanatos and keep watch while you all are gone," Kalona said. "I'll see you in ten days."

"Ten days?" Zoey shook her head. "That seems like such a long time now. To be away from you."

"Why did you decide to kiss me that day?" Kalona murmured. "You could have walked away, and we wouldn't even be in this situation."

"Because." Zoey's eyes were moist. "I didn't want to lose you, Kalona. That was the moment I realized it—I'm _in love with you_. I'm in love with you, Kalona. And I don't want to lose you just yet."

Their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss. Zoey pulled hesitantly away from him, and lowered her lips to his shoulder. Kalona moaned and used his sharp nails to cut through the flesh of his neck so she could get to the spot she was looking for. He knew exactly what she was trying to do. It was what all vampyres did when in moments of intense pleasure, and now, she was going to do it. And he didn't mind.

So he relaxed as Zoey took a deep breath and sank her teeth into his chest, drinking his blood. Her eyes widened, and her pupils seemed to dilate, as if she were riding a high off the taste of his blood. And she probably was. The taste of Kalona's blood was unlike any blood in the world. He was immortal, so it was the most divine blood, the most pure—when he was on the side of Light. It would be almost like drinking Nyx's blood. She moaned, almost screaming at the top of her lungs at the pleasure. It was coursing through him too—he wanted it. Of course he wanted it.

And in that moment of such ragged, intense pleasure, Kalona and Zoey Imprinted, and she lifted her lips from his neck slowly. She pressed her lips to his again, and moved closer to him. "Your blood..." she whispered. "It's the best blood I've ever tasted. I... I don't know how I stopped."

"Because you love me," he whispered. "You love me... me, who killed your mate..." Pain flashed across her eyes at the reminder. "I'm so sorry, Zoey," he whispered. "I will not stop doing whatever it takes to make it up to you, my little A-ya. I will try my hardest to lay rest to the wounds in your soul." He kissed her hand. "I want you to know that I love you, and will stand by you forever." This time, he kissed her lips, but only briefly. "Goodbye, Zoey." Before she could say anything else to him, he turned around and walked away. Kalona felt his heart pounding, and heard the sound of its loud pound all up through his spine.

He felt as close to Nyx as he had when she was standing right in front of him.

He'd made the right decision.

...

**Hidden: Chapter Seven, UPDATED**

** Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait. I decided to update this one first, because I was reading ****_Tempted_**** and wanted to share some more Kalona/Zoey development with you guys. I love that pairing, and should have explored it more in the later books. I almost want to change the story now. I wish I'd ended ****_Revealed _****just slightly differently. But, alas, I didn't. So you know their fate, as they barely talk in ****_Battled. _**

******Speaking of ****_Battled, _****its update is coming soon. I'm halfway through it, and just a warning, this chapter is mostly character development—romance. There will be a part at the end from Neferet's point of view, but most of it is just about the romance of the other couples (unfortunately, not Zoey or Stevie Rae). When we last left off, Stark and Neferet left together. There was some confusion—isn't Neferet supposed to be Light now? She is, but you have to remember she's acting the part of Dark because she wants to overthrow the white bull from the inside. **

** I'll be having a discussion soon, and I'm very excited about it. It's through the stories. You ask a question, and I post the answer along with your question so the readers can see it. It'll start as soon as I post the next chapter of ****_Battled_****. I won't answer any major spoiler questions, and I'm taking questions about all my books, not just the HoN ones. You can even ask about****_ me_**** if you want. **

** Thanks for supporting me, guys. I love you!**

** XOXO,**

** Casey**


	10. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

_Stevie Rae_

Stevie Rae was sad to see him go, but she knew Rephaim had to change—it was always going to happen because of what Nyx had changed him into. She was scared of it, but more or less, she knew the general consensus: Rephaim was going to have to change, lest he become the Dark Raven Mocker he'd been before he'd fallen in love with her, and she'd pick missing out on him during the day over that any time.

She pulled on a Kenny Chesney T-shirt she'd gotten for her last birthday and a pair of Ropers jeans and sat up in bed. Totally surprising herself, she booted up Damien's laptop, her interest in the outside world piqued. Sgiach had Internet and cable, which Stevie Rae thought was amazing. The Queen sure knew how to have fun. They'd arrived in Skye last night, and since they'd stayed up for the duration of the trip, the queen had allowed them all to go to bed—Stevie Rae hadn't seen her since.

She typed in the password to the laptop and logged on. Instantly she was greeted by a picture of all of them, back when their biggest problem was Aphrodite and making it through the Change. She logged onto her Facebook page. Every move she made was surprising her—how did she even remember her Facebook password?

She hadn't been on Facebook for so long that she had forty-three notifications, from Henrietta friends as well as Tulsa friends. Stevie Rae made a status that said, "On Skye havin' trouble with Z, miss you" and tagged about nine of her old friends. She smiled sadly as her brother liked the status and commented "where's Skye?" Stevie Rae replied "in Scotland". Chris, her brother, said "whoa you're in Scotland?" "ttyl" Stevie Rae said back to him. Memories were rushing back to her—memories that made her think of him, and that was the _last _thing she wanted to do right now. With a heavy sigh, she logged out of Facebook and shut down the laptop.

...

Stevie Rae got dressed later that morning, and headed out into Skye. Everyone was hustling and bustling about, doing orders for Queen Sgiach, who she still thought was a very cool lady. She saw Stark and Darius sitting outside the castle, talking. Stevie Rae smiled and walked towards them. "... Can't enter this Isle," Stark was saying. "That's impossible. There's no way Neferet could enter Skye. Sgiach would never allow it."

"I do not believe so either," Darius said, but the only people I have ever seen who radiate those amounts of Darkness are Kalona and Aurox, and Kalona is supposedly on our side now. How would Aurox enter the Isle?"

"I don't know," Stark said, looking very frustrated as though it was killing him not to know. Stevie Rae knew that feeling.

Stevie Rae cleared her throat. The boys jumped, and turned to stare at her. Stark looked hot in his dark blue jeans and deep red polo. Darius looked muscular and intimidating in his white V-neck tee shirt and black jeans. Neither of them, however, did any wonders for her—Rephaim was the only guy who could make her heart race. "Hey, guys."

Stevie Rae noticed that the clouds had not yet parted, and it was unusually dark on Skye. She wondered where Rephaim was, and hoped he was okay.

"Hello, Stevie Rae," Darius said. Stark waved up at her.

"What are you guys—" Stevie Rae stopped talking when she saw him. He was abnormally tall and very muscular. His arms trembled as if he were changing shape. He had deep blond hair and moonstone-colored eyes, and she would know him anywhere.

Aurox.

Stevie Rae's body completely locked up, tensing so hard she could barely move or breathe. Aurox was only a few feet away. His eyes glowed ominously, and his pupils pulsated as if something were trying to escape from underneath. "Where is Zoey?" he asked softly. He looked miserable, as if he'd been tortured the last few nights, and had something he had to tell Zoey that would make or break the condition of this earth.

Darius stood, whipping one of his best knives from the sheath on his belt. "You will not touch her!" he growled, sounding so much like the Warrior Aphrodite claimed he was.

Suddenly his arms stopped trembling. His eyes stopped glowing, and he just looked like a normal—_but totally hot—_teenager. "I am sorry," he said. "I wish to see High Priestess Zoey Redbird. I want to talk to the Fledgling High Priestess."

Stark and Darius glanced at each other, then at Stevie Rae. She wanted to yell at them: _Go ask Z! I'm not High Priestess here! Hell, I don't want to be High Priestess anywhere!_

"Sure," she said quickly. "We can stand and watch. If Aurox does anything, it'll be Warrior time."

Stark and Darius smiled, and nodded. Stark turned toward Aurox, the smile fading from his face. "I don't trust you, whether you're Heath Luck or not. I don't want you anywhere near my Z, but I'll allow it this time. But if you fucking touch her, you're going to have more than a dead High Priestess's body on your hands. You're going to be dead too, you slimy, disgusting son of a bitch." Stark spun on his heels and stormed into the castle. She didn't understand his anger—all Aurox had done was _appear. _

Darius's broad lips twitched, fighting a smile. Stark's temper was amusing to him.

When Stark returned, Zoey's hand was threaded through his. The fear in her eyes was obvious, but she was trying not to show it as she moved away from Stark quickly, sucked in a deep breath, and walked toward Aurox. "Hello," Zoey said politely. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Aurox reached out for her hand, and she jerked away. Sensing that she did not want to be touched by him, Aurox stood back. Stevie Rae watched him closely. "Zoey, I'm sorry for the way I behaved at the reveal ritual."

"So you came all this way just to apologize to me?" Zoey said coldly. She looked as though she didn't want any apology from him, and her tone was chillier than a homemade banana-and-apple slush.

"Yes. Do you accept my apology, Zo?"

Stevie Rae didn't know what happened to Z. She jerked and it was like something came over her. Slowly she raised the seer stone that hung between her breasts and looked through it. She swallowed.

"Heath?" she said quietly. "Heath Luck, is that you?"

Aurox blinked and the sudden blue in his eyes faded back to normal moonstone color. "My—my name is Aurox," he said, confused. "Why... why do you keep calling me that?"

"I know. I'm sorry. I do accept your apology, He—I mean Aurox." Zoey grabbed Aurox tightly in a hug, surprising everyone. She smiled sadly at him. "I hope you have a well trip back," she said, walking back over to Stark, burying her face in his shoulder. They led her back into the castle, without even a backward glance at the would-be incarnate of Heath Luck.

_Aurox_

He was breathing hard and trying not to dash after Zoey and beg her to kiss him—well, to do anything to him that involved her beautiful brown eyes on his. With one last grim glance at the castle he walked back out of the boundary. With a thrill Aurox fed from the anger of Zoey Redbird's Guardian, and the fear of the Red High Priestess who served her. His muscles tightened and he shifted into the bull that had been the subject of so many of his nightmares, the bull that he could only conjure up now when he was immensely angry. Aurox waited for the helicopter to return before jumping on it and killing the pilots. Darkness guided his hand as he flew it back to land, where he caught the plane, shifting back into a human. He would wait for Zoey in Europe. There was something between them that he could not deny any longer. He would finally disobey Neferet.

Aurox smiled.

_Zoey_

I sat forward in the throne. It felt strange to sit there, considering I wasn't really a queen. But everyone thought I was. Nyx thought I was. With a sigh, I shifted in the throne, turning towards the ancient queen, whose eyes had remained stormy throughout the entire, long conversation with Darius, Aphrodite, Stark, Shaylin and Stevie Rae.

"We know what he wanted, don't we?" Stark asked sarcastically, as if that were obvious. "He wanted to snoop for Neferet. Heath or no Heath, that guy's an annoying bastard." Stark rolled his eyes. "I don't like him."

"Yeah, but he didn't ask any questions or anything, bowboy," Aphrodite said. "That would have been an instant red flag."

"Why would he need to ask questions? He saw why we were here."

"No he didn't." I spoke up. "We're here to get Warriors from Sgiach. He didn't see that, now, did he, Stark?"

"See?" Aphrodite snapped.

Stark was blushing, because he knew I was right. There was no reason for him to be such a bully to Aurox. (On a side note, I thought: _why am I defending him? _I wondered what Kalona's reaction would have been.) "Sorry."

"It's alright," Stevie Rae spoke up. "I'm sure you meant well. Besides, we're all a little riled up right now, and tired. We need to go to sleep. Stark, you should know that better than anyone."

I felt a sudden urge to hug Stevie Rae. I loved my BFF. "Yeah, Stark, you need some sleep. So do you, Stevie Rae."

"Okay, I'll sleep. I just wanted to protect you, Z. _Mo bann ri_, you know I love you. I'll always want the best for you. To hell with what anybody else says." He grinned at me. "It's us against Neferet. Shit, us against the world."

I grinned back. It was impossible not to fall in love with someone like James Stark, and I already had. I knew that even if Aurox _was _Heath, I didn't want to just let go of Stark for him. But then... where did that leave me and Kalona?

I didn't want to keep _thinking _about Kalona. Why was he on my mind? I knew I'd told him I was in love with him, but that didn't mean I had to keep thinking about him. And it wasn't like he was the only one. I was in love with Stark _and _Heath as well.

"Seeya later, Z," Stevie Rae said with a huge yawn. She threw her arm around Stark's shoulder, walking with him. Something about the gesture rubbed me the wrong way, even though I knew Stevie Rae had no type of affection for Stark—she was too deeply involved with Rephaim. I didn't respond to her goodbye.

"Bumpkin saves the day once again. Whoop-tee fucking doo. I'm going to bed," Aphrodite said, pulling Darius with a strength I'd never seen in her. They were out of the room before I could even blink, without a goodbye.

I rolled my eyes. "I think I'm going to head to bed too, Queen Sgiach. I'm pretty tired."

"Alright. Get some sleep. I may come late at night."

I raised an eyebrow but simply nodded, walking off towards my room. I opened the door and closed it softly, to find Stark lying in bed, stretched out. He was snoring softly; he had actually taken my advice and gone to sleep. I was glad, seeing as it had distracted him from thinking about Aurox—and since he wasn't thinking about Aurox, he wasn't thinking about _me _and Aurox. I shook my head, smiling.

I removed the shirt I had on, changing quickly into one of Stark's shirts, and lay in the bed in front of Stark. He stirred when I lay next to him. When he saw that it was me, he smiled weakly. "Z. Hey. Guess you followed your own advice," he said softly.

"Yep. I decided I wanted to lay here with you." It was silent for a moment, and then Stark said, "Uh, Z? Are you up for some fun?"

I laughed. "Sure."

I turned around and kissed his smug, smiling lips. Then I climbed atop him. The smile faded from my lips, but the happiness in my soul was plain to see in the air around me as I made sweet, passionate love to him.

_Rephaim_

He woke on the side of Sgiach's ancient castle. His entire body was sore. It wasn't that he'd just been a bird that was irritating. It was the fact that he'd gone twelve hours without seeing his Stevie Rae—twelve hours because the sun shined brighter on the island of Skye.

Blinking, Rephaim stood and was heading towards the castle before he realized that he was stark naked. He blushed and searched for his clothes, stopping as soon as he'd started because he knew they weren't outside. He'd half to walk all the way to Stevie Rae's room, which was exactly _halfway across the castle_. And he had no clothes. He remembered the system he and Stevie Rae had set up. Smiling brilliantly, he rushed to the trees beside the castle and pulled Shaunee's iPhone from the leaves. He dialed her number and breathed into the phone anxiously, waiting for the answer.

"Hello?"

Rephaim had never been so relieved to hear a voice. "I'm outside. Bring some clothes and come get me—I just turned back."

"Alright, I'm on my way." Stevie Rae's accent had never sounded so beautiful. "I'll be there in a sec."

"Bye."

He waited patiently for a while, his heart bearing as fast as it always did when she was near him, until she walked out of the door, blond curls falling gently to her shoulders. He threw his arms around her. "I've missed you dearly."

"I missed you too," she said, kissing him when he pulled away and smiling. She handed him the clothes and sent an appraising glance at his naked body. "You know you don't have to put those on now."

He laughed and kissed her. "I think we should save that for later, in the room."

"So noble," she muttered, rolling her eyes. He slipped the jeans and T-shirt on and waggled his brows at her. "Do I look good?"

She laughed. "Yep. But I know when you'll look better—way better. And feel better."

He laughed, too. "Well, then."

Stevie Rae grinned and they walked together, hand in hand. Rephaim hoped against hope that he would never have to let her go.

...

**Hidden, UPDATE: Chapter Eight**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	11. Chapter Nine

_Kalona_

Kalona was right on the edge of sleep but couldn't quite get there. He was still thinking about the person he'd been thinking about since she'd left—Zoey. Seductive, powerful images shot through his mind: those strong Cherokee lips pressing against his neck, the warmth of her skin, the beauty of her scarlet blush. For the first time, he felt connected to Zoey—to A-ya—in a way he had never been before.

The images got sexier in his mind, things that had not happened (yet): Zoey gently stroking her elegant fingers down his muscular chest, shivering not only with the cold fire of his skin but with desire. Zoey taking her lips and running them down his body, not hesitating to stop... Making love to him...

"Oh," Kalona moaned. His hand retreated to the hard lump in it. He threw his head back and followed the connection to Zoey, sure that she would be ready to make love with him—but what he saw shattered his hopes. Zoey and Stark were curled up in bed, sweating like they had just had passionate sex. She smiled sleepily up at her Warrior Guardian. "I love you, Stark," she whispered.

"I love you too, Zoey," he whispered back, grinning at her warmly.

Zoey shoved her body up so that she was closer to him, and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft and sweet, meaningful—the message a wife might send her husband before leaving to go to work. Kalona's mouth fell open in disgust. But why should be disgusted? He'd known Zoey didn't truly love him. The Imprint was only a blood connection—nothing like what she and Stark had, or even she and Aurox, who he knew beyond any doubt was Heath now. Still, he couldn't help the pain that stabbed through his heart like a sharpened dagger. Zoey didn't love him. There was once a time where maybe she might have, but he'd killed her Consort and ruined it.

Guiltily, Kalona severed the connection. He stared straight ahead again, trying not to think about anything.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on his door. He didn't move. "Kalona?" a voice whispered.

He realized it was Thanatos, the only female on earth besides Zoey whom he truly cared about in that way. He sighed. "Come in."

She strode in, sitting on the bed beside him. "You do know you're my Warrior, which means you have to be the Sword Master in Dragon's honor. I would not have you assume any title that usurps Erebus's name, but you must be Sword Master."

"I understand," he said softly. He remembered seeing Dragon Lankford melt away into the Otherworld—yet another death that was Neferet's fault. As he remembered why he'd chosen Light, rage shuddered through him. One thing he wanted to see was her death—painful and slow.

"So you would have me take over?" Kalona's voice was incredulous as he processed his thoughts. "The fledglings hate me. I am not loved."

"So you think. Public opinion is often quickly deterred. If you can win their opinion—and most of them, you can, because the females and some males are easily attracted to your beauty—you can win their affection."

"Okay," he said slowly. "Is that the only reason you came here? Or is there something else?"

Thanatos hesitated. "I don't want to say there's something else I have to say. But there is something I want to do." She pressed her lips to his, unexpectedly. The kiss sent a shiver of real desire through him—not small desire like he had for Zoey.

"Why did you do that?" he asked quietly when they had parted. He could still feel the tingle of her lips across his skin.

"Because I know that you are invested with Zoey. But I like you. And I am not the only one who believes you could use a break from her. She will do nothing but hurt you—you know she's in love with Stark." Thanatos kissed him again. This kiss was much more seductive, filled with passion and angst that the two of them had been denying. It sparked more desire in him than the first as well.

Kalona realized Thanatos was right. The love Zoey had for Stark was much stronger than any mundane sexual desire she felt for him. She wasn't in love with him—it was just A-ya that had convinced her of that. He was in love with her, and that was definite. But she loved Stark much more than she loved him. He wanted nothing more than for Zoey to be happy.

So he let her go.

When Thanatos kissed him again, Kalona didn't try to push back. He simply let desire take him, as the High Priestess's eyes moved to the throbbing artery in his neck.

"Do it," he gasped. "I can't... I can't..." He wanted the pleasure. He wanted to be torn from Zoey, to be tied to someone else. Knowing that he was unable to speak any longer, Thanatos pressed a warm finger to his lips. Then she hesitantly dug her teeth into his neck. How could be describe it? He couldn't say it was pain—that was too tame a word. It wasn't desire either, or at least it wasn't just desire, though that was one of the most predominant emotions.

Pain shivered through him first, like someone had shattered every bone in his body. He heard her scream and knew his Imprint with Zoey Redbird had shattered. And she was probably in pain now, helpless against it. She would survive, no doubt, but Kalona had promised her how in love with her he was. How could he do that to her?

Guilt was his first emotion after the pain. His connection to Zoey had been one of the only things about Light he'd truly enjoyed. But before he could speak, could say that it was wrong that he was with Thanatos when he'd so carelessly left Zoey broken, Thanatos began to drink. From the torn skin of his throat, the vestiges of a new Imprint began to form. The same thing was happening to Thanatos, and she gasped.

And that was the moment Kalona, fallen Warrior of Nyx, imprinted with Thanatos, High Priestess of vampyres. This time when she broke away and they kissed, the kiss was soft and sweet, tender and gentle. He could feel the happiness in her every move- the way she was sitting, the smile on her face. At that moment, Kalona forgot all about Zoey as he took her in his arms and kissed her, preparing to make love with her. But the guilt, hot and harsh, still remained deeply rooted in his heart. And even a winged, deadly immortal who had fought Darkness—and Light for that matter—for centuries couldn't fight the power of the one emotion that lasted.

Love.

_Zoey_

We sat on the plane, waiting for the captain to give the order that we could leave. It was time to face our fears. I'd said goodbye to Sgiach and Seoras, and so had everyone else. They'd promised they would have Guardians assist us if we needed the help. I was certain I would see them again—maybe a lot.

"You got everything, Z?" Stark called from the cargo hold beside me. He was doing a luggage account. He'd saved me for last, because apparently he wanted to check everyone else first. He looked at me now, his eyebrows raised in question, looking so much like a Warrior and so impossibly sexy that my heart gave a little flip. "Yep," I said, nodding. I couldn't ignore the fact that Kalona had been on my mind for the last three days. Since Aurox had left me behind for Europe, he had been on my mind. I could reach him through our Imprint, but I didn't try.

Suddenly, a sharp pain twisted in my gut. I fell out of my seat, pressing my lips together and hoping I wouldn't throw up. Pain seared through my entire body. "No..." I gasped.

Through the pain I could see Kalona's face in the back of my mind. He was kissing Thanatos. He looked guiltily in my direction before rolling on top of her, leaving me behind.

_Our Imprint is broken. _A cold chill, of something I couldn't recognize—I knew it had to be either fear or relief—shivered through me and I locked my teeth together, unwilling to admit that even though we'd only been Imprinted for six days, I had gotten closer with Kalona than ever before, and that I wanted that connection back.

"Zoey!" I felt strong hands guiding me up towards my seat, but it wasn't Stark. It was Damien. He felt different, warmer. There was more happiness in his eyes. I was glad to see that he was truly healing, moving on from Jack's death. "Are you okay?"

"I... I'm fine," I assured him. I looked down at the ground as I thought of Europe. It seemed like finally, we were getting what we'd wanted all along, but I felt like something was off. There were only a few hours until we reached the city we'd lusted after for so long, but I didn't dare voice my feelings about being away from Kalona.

"You okay, Z?" Stevie Rae was staring at me with an expression that just might be sadness. Rephaim was staring at me too, only he looked much more worried than my BFF.

"Yeah." I ran a hand through my hair and was about to give her some lame excuse when suddenly, I burst into tears. I was crying so hard I couldn't see straight. Before I could cry for even two seconds, Stark had a tissue in his hand. He held it to my nose as I blew into it, then threw it into the trash. "Z, what happened?"

"I... Imprint... Kalona... Broken..." I was doing something that was part-crying, part-singing, and my chest hummed.

"I understand." Surprising me, Aphrodite moved in the seat next to mine.

"No, you don't," I snapped stubbornly, unwilling to believe that someone could sympathize with me, wanting to be mad at the world.

She wrapped her arm delicately around my shoulders. "I've been Imprinted with someone before, remember? When bumpkin decided to go and live in Candyland with birdboy, I was left in pain. Ring a bell?"

I nodded, shaming myself for not even considering the fact that Aphrodite's Imprint with Stevie Rae had been broken. She knew exactly how I felt. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, this is what you do," she said, suddenly sounding soft and nice and way older than nineteen. "You know that you don't belong with that person. You try to move on, rather than dwelling in the past." She snorted. "But don't think I had that type of connection with bumpkin. I am not fucking gay." She waggled her brows at Damien. "Well, unlike some of us here tonight."

He laughed surprisingly. "Yep, _some_ of us are."

The pilot called back to us. I felt a little lighter than I had and I wasn't crying anymore, but I still felt a sadness with me, rent deep in my soul. I tried not to dwell too long on that though.

The pilot called back to us that he was ready, and we all adjusted into our positions. Soon the plane shot into the sky, and we were well on our way to fighting Darkness, one step short from winning the battle—and one step from losing.

_Rephaim_

He floated into the deep, dark abyss called the Realm of Dreams. He saw a tall, beautiful woman with long brown hair. She was carrying a beautiful baby boy. With a start, Rephaim realized it was him—but a younger version of him.

It was him as a baby.

Kalona stood next to the woman. He glared at her. "You do not deserve the vestiges of my blood!" His hand swung back and slapped her across the face, hard. Rephaim wanted to protect the woman, but he couldn't do anything but watch as she fell to her knees, sobbing as the beautiful little boy fell out of her arms.

Suddenly, he wasn't a baby boy anymore. His fingernails hardened and lengthened until they were as sharp as claws. His skin grew patches of feathers. His eyes turned the red of new blood. And wings sprouted from his back.

Rephaim screamed as the dream shattered and he sat straight up in his seat. He looked around at the fledglings and vampyres who were his friends. Most of them were asleep. Zoey's head was strewn in Stark's lap, but he was awake. He stared at Rephaim openly, confusion in his eyes. Behind him, Damien was awake also. Aphrodite and Darius were both soundly asleep, looking cute together. Stevie Rae was asleep, too. Her blond head was nestled onto his shoulder. Maybe that was for the best. He saw Shaunee and Erin sleeping peacefully. So it was only him and the guys.

"Hey," Rephaim said, rubbing his eyes.

"What was _that_about?" Damien cried. "You screamed like someone was killing you."

"Maybe someone was." Rephaim remembered the way his father had slapped the woman, who he was now certain was his mother. And he'd been that terribly evil child... A scream built in his throat, but he forced it down with a cough. He couldn't show them that he was as scared of himself as he was of Darkness.

"What happened?" The softness in Stark's voice made Rephaim turn his eyes to the Guardian Warrior. He was hovering protectively over Zoey. Stark had never quite trusted Rephaim, and so he'd kept his distance. But this wasn't making him seem cold and beguiling. He seemed like he honestly cared what happened to Rephaim.

"I saw... my mother. She was carrying me. Father appeared and slapped her. She dropped me. I changed into a Raven Mocker..." He choked on the word Raven Mocker. "I... I..."

The dream hadn't been simply a dream. It had been a message from Nyx. "I think I was different. Special. I was the only one of his children who wasn't born a Raven Mocker. My mother's death was what wrought the Darkness in my soul."

"So... you were Light from the beginning?" Damien said gently.

"I think so." He let out a sharp breath. If this was true... that meant his father had lied to him. Anger flared his nostrils. His body went rigid. That was something his father should have told him, should not have shielded from the truth as he had so obviously done. "How far are we from Europe?"

Stark shifted toward the window. "Far as I can tell, we should land in about three hours."

Rephaim smiled. There were only three more hours until they could stop the tainted High Priestess. And after that he could confront his father and discover the truth. And discover if everything he'd known since his birth had been a cold, terrifying lie.

**Hidden, Update: Chapter Nine**

**XOXO,**

**Casey**


	12. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

**This is COMPLETELY new and was not in the original storyline. Enjoy!** - Casey

_Aurox_

He sobbed into his hands, his facial expression somewhere between a scowl and one of grief. Aurox hated himself, hated that he was both beauty and beast, a monster with feelings. How could he care for Zoey so much in the face of the things he'd done to her?

Memories whirl-winded through his mind like a tornado. His uncontrollable rage. His succumbing to Darkness. How he'd killed Dragon Lankford—goring him by simply ripping him to pieces, tearing through his blood and bone until he ceased to be. How he'd done almost the same to Rephaim. How he'd wanted to attack Zoey...

Aurox looked up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He glanced around him. It hadn't taken much to get the human to let him check into the hotel—Neferet had given him human money. He sat in the penthouse suite, staring at all the luxurious things the room had to offer. But none of them could pacify his burning curiosity.

Why had Zoey been able to affect him so deeply when no one else could? Why had he seen those deep brown eyes, that beautiful face, and been so unnerved that he had fled the reveal ritual? Aurox knew the answer had something to do with Heath Luck—whoever that was.

He stood miserably and walked to the bathroom. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he could see why Zoey would be drawn to him. He truly was beautiful. The white bull had made sure in creating him that women would fall prey to his features, to his long blond hair, to his muscular body and arms, to his moonstone eyes. But he felt wrong inside this body—like he was not meant to be here.

The image of him in the mirror pulsed and flowed like water, and to Aurox's astonishment, it faded. Another image appeared in its place—the image of a boy about nineteen, with dark blond hair that had the same texture as his, a body just as muscular as his, and a face just as handsome as his own. The only difference was the other boy's eyes were a startling blue—a _normal _blue.

Slowly, Aurox reached out and touched the mirror. The image didn't fade, but the guy in the mirror jerked back. _"You going gay on me?"_ he asked. _"Can't have that."  
_  
Aurox gasped. "Who are you? How are you in my mirror?"

He laughed. _"It's not your mirror, it's the hotel's mirror, you idiot. And I'm you—just a hotter, better version of you."_

"Who…" Aurox stopped himself when the feeling spread through his soul, righteous and true. "You are Heath Luck."

He nodded. _"Human Imprintee, at your service."_

"What—what are you? How is it you are inside me? What are you to—to Zoey?" It was almost difficult saying her name.

_"I just said I was human. Goddess, you're dense. And I'm you! Nyx put my soul inside your body, so you're riding off my goodness and my emotions. They're not your own. If I wasn't here, you'd be just as evil as Neferet."  
_  
Aurox jerked his hand away from the mirror. "No! That... That cannot be true!"

_"It is, bull boy."_ Heath looked grim, but there was no mistaking the truth in his eyes. _"And as for who I am to Zoey... I think you know."_

Aurox swallowed. "You were her mate. And then you died. Am I correct?"

_"You're smarter than you look, bull boy,"_ he said. _"Zo loves me."_

"Zo..." The nickname, as childish as it sounded, rippled through his body as Heath said it. "Zo. You used to call her that, did you not?"

_"Yeah, and that's why _you _call her that." _He nodded. _"You're finally understanding."_

"So... What do I do?" he demanded.

_"Zo is the only way out of this for you. As much of my feelings as they are, you love her- in your own spoiled way. You have to use my feelings to get back to Light for yourself. But one day you'll have to stop stealing my emotions and be your own person. That day is coming soon."_

Aurox nodded, swallowing hard. "When?"

_"If I knew, I'd tell you,"_ Heath admitted. _"That's something only you can figure out." _

"Well, I will be sure to return to this mirror when I do," he said.  
Heath jerked back in surprise. _"Did you just tell a joke?"_

"I... I think so," he said softly.

_"You're not half bad, bull boy. Just be Light, because Zoey's gonna need you for what's coming next."  
_  
The image in the mirror rippled and faded, and he was staring at himself again. Aurox sighed and walked away from it. He now knew who Heath Luck was, what his feelings meant, and what his destiny _had_ to be.

Aurox took a deep breath and thought about Zoey—her beautiful smile, her perfect hair, her confident expression. He knew he was falling in love with her.

He just hoped _he_ was falling in love with her. Not the ghost of her dead, human, Imprinted ex-boyfriend inside him.

_Neferet_

The Tsi Sgili sensed Light in the air. Turning around in distaste, she stared at the young fledgling who had entered her quarters. Though she was no longer a High Priestess, she had enough money to masquerade as one.

"What do you want?" Neferet snapped. The ice in her voice made the young fledgling jump, though she visibly tried to cover her fear. She handed the ex-High Priestess the note and quickly exited the room.

Neferet smiled, priding herself in that she could still frighten young fledglings.

Avoiding touching the note too thoroughly as she was almost certain that it had faced human contact at some point, she opened the letter and pulled it out. It was from the High Council. Even more distaste went through her at the thought of the weak, spineless vampyres who had been commissioned to rule vampyre society. She read the note:

_Neferet,_

_We will convene exactly seven hours from your arrival in San Clemente. Do not get too comfortable; you may be awakened at very late hours in the day. We will, however, allow you one night of sleep. That is when the Council, which Zoey Redbird and her circle will attend, will convene. Do not arrive late unless there is a plane issue._

_Sincerely,_

_Duantia_

Neferet's blood boiled with anger at the letter. She felt herself rearing up, and suddenly the torn pieces of the paper were falling faintly to the ground, swirling in the air in almost a celestial dance. She was highly confused. How had she destroyed it without even touching it?

_"Darkness."_ The word slithered through her mind, burning with the touch of her lord's cold fire. She knew they were his words. _"You commanded Darkness, as you often have."_ Like a trigger was flipped, the ghostly apparition of the bull seeped toward her, so close Neferet could almost reach out and touch it. She would, if it were real.

"Without a direct command, I ordered Darkness?" Neferet spoke aloud; she knew the bull preferred it that way.

He laughed._ "You did command. With your mind." _

She had often been able to command Darkness mentally, but the thought that she could now do it without conscious thought sent a potent thrill though her blood. "Thank you, my Consort."

_"You are most welcome."_ The strange apparition disappeared, blowing away as if a part of the wind.

"Darkness." It was still strange that she didn't have to speak; she did it simply out of habit. "Tell my Consort I said I love him." She stared down at the ground. A trickle of fear went down her spine. She wasn't sure how her Consort would react.

Instead of Darkness's response, her head hurt suddenly. She cried out as a sharp memory surfaced from the careful walls she'd built around it...

_Sgiach_

The queen sat forward as her throne seemed to get colder and sink toward her skin. She frowned against the sudden cold feeling within her—like a slimy, cold creature was climbing through her, poking her insides.

Darkness was at work.

With a gasp, she remembered the conversation she'd had with Zoey just a day ago. The memories came at random, and to anyone with a name that started with the letter S. She was receiving a memory from Neferet's past.

She closed her eyes and let the memory take her…

_Neferet_

Neferet stared at the door that clearly marked the captain's quarters. They were going to the American city called Chicago, by ship.

"When will we arrive?" she called to Shekinah. The High Priestess looked beautiful in her red gown, her hair falling lightly to the small of her back.

"Very shortly," the High Priestess answered. She tossed her long curls behind her face, looking deep in thought. "The House of Night in Chicago will have you soon."

"I know they will," Neferet said. She looked away, staring out onto the surf and at the calm, sparkling blue seas. "The question is if I will have them."

Shekinah inclined her head to the fledgling. Neferet could see the irritation in her gaze. She didn't know if her and the Vampyre High Priestess would get along very well. She could already tell her brash attitude didn't mix with the High Priestess's idea of respect.

It was Shekinah's job to venture the Americas, to find possible schools for fledglings. The House of Night was a hot commodity now. From the very first one in the beautiful city of Rome, the House of Nights had begun to spring up all around the world. Shekinah had deigned that she would search America for locations of a House of Night.

And so she had been. For the past several years, she had been the shepherd for fledglings and vampyres from around the world, transferring them by ship. Currently they were on their way to Chicago, where Neferet would attend the House of Night until she became a full vampyre—or rejected the Change and died.

No. She tried not to think about that as she stared out into the sparkling sea—and realized that she was not only staring at the sea, but also at a dock, the docks of Chicago.

"We have reached Chicago!" came Shekinah's voice from behind her. "We will begin unloading momentarily. Do not distress; you will be transported to your dorms and expected to fit in as any other fledgling."

All of the fledglings who had been on deck walked off the ship after it touched the docks, luggage in hand. Some of them were empty-handed—they had come from families who didn't clothe them often. Some of them were carrying gold-plated luggage, wearing beautiful dresses and tuxedos that showed that they were rich children.

Neferet didn't fit into any of those categories. She _had _been rich at one point, but she no longer considered herself an Englewood; she would not brandish her father's family name if he wouldn't treat her with the utmost respect she deserved. He was just a stupid, pathetic human. She was so much more powerful than him, as she would always be from now on. Humans—all humans—needed to bow down and respect her. They were just—

Wait.

Her mind stopped for a second. Had she really just been thinking about killing off humans if they didn't listen to her? What kind of person was that? A sick, twisted kind of person...

A vampyre.

_A fledgling,_ Neferet mentally corrected herself. _I am nothing but a fledgling. I am not important to Nyx unless I become a Changed vampyre._

She walked off the ship, the sea breeze lightly caressing her face, nestling her hair and making it fling lightly along the line of her squared shoulders. She turned to Shekinah. The beautiful High Priestess's brown eyes were not focused on her; she was staring at the city of Chicago, awe in her gaze. "Have you ever been to Chicago, Priestess?" Neferet asked softly, moving slightly closer to her.

"I have, but the beauty of the city amazes me every time I witness it," she said. Her unflinching gaze met Neferet's. "I do not witness big cities often, child. Though I shepherd fledglings to and fro their homes, I often stay near my High Council, not wanting to leave them alone. This is only the third time I've seen it."

"Really?" The fledgling wasn't really surprised. She'd heard the hint of an accent in Shekinah's voice that she couldn't place. "Where did you live before you were Marked?"

Shekinah was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, and Neferet was surprised by the sudden, yet fierce softness in her eyes.

"I was born Shekinah K'journnic, in the modern country of Iran. My mother died shortly after my birth. My father was not exactly coherent. He settled into a depression, and the only way out of it for him was to cut himself. Soon, he died and I was alone." The High Priestess sounded very young. "After my father's death, I fled my city, not wanting to be separated to another family. I wandered the forests for several months. I was lonely, terrified, scared. Until I found Hiro." She smiled sadly. "He was very handsome—I remember that—and the Mark on his forehead was the most dominant feature. He saw me, and he could tell I was starving—very near death. My body had weakened in the few months as I shifted from fifteen to sixteen. He told me to come with him. I did. It was the best decision I'd made in my life."

Shekinah smiled again; this time the smile was more happy than sad. "Hiro took me to the tents, where a small group of vampyres had assembled. He and I were together that entire night as he fed me—the best meal I've ever had in my life. When I awakened the next morning, I was utterly ecstatic. The happiest I'd been in days. Hiro and I had just made love. I was already madly in love with the vampyre who had saved my life, and I didn't want to let him go. I never would want that."

Neferet thought she could see tears in the Priestess's eyes. "I left the tent. As soon as I left, everyone stared at my forehead, and I realized that one of the vampyres had Marked me while I was asleep. I was ecstatic at first. Foolishly I believed Hiro and I could be together forever, could live as mates."

"Why couldn't you?" Neferet was not sure she liked where the story was going. She had never seen Shekinah with a mate.

"I am getting there, child. As I was saying, Hiro and I left at the same time for the closest House of Night, in Egypt. It was one of the first. When we arrived, I was moved in as a fledgling. I quickly moved through the ranks, as my relationship with Hiro became stronger. Pretty soon my High Priestess Condeis realized there was an Imprint between us."

"An Imprint," Neferet realized. "Uh-oh."

Shekinah fought a smile. "Indeed, child, uh-oh. Condeis was not happy with me. I'd just been nominated for the role of High Priestess in training, and I'd won. I had a charming affinity. I could glimpse the Goddess—I could literally call visions of her forth when I wanted. Hiro and I were separated, never allowed to see each other again. I was miserable. I craved the blood; it had tasted delectable. I wanted more." She licked her lips. "I stole to the place my friend told me Hiro was hiding. I found his body dead on the ground, his Mark surrounded by a pool of blood on his forehead. He had been killed by vampyre hands. I called Nyx forth and she told me it was Condeis.

"I grieved for some two months before I completed the Change. I was now old enough to leave my House and go somewhere. But not before I got back at Condeis. I went to her room and stabbed her, telling her I was leaving." She smiled. "I was fairly rebellious back then."

Neferet was silent for a second. She had injured a High Priestess and gotten away with it? That was almost unbelievable.

"Enough of my stormy past. Let us get you enrolled." With a shock, Neferet realized they'd been walking the entire time, and had come to a stop in front of the tall, beautiful glass building. It was definitely the most beautiful thing in the city.

"Hail, Neferet," Shekinah boomed, bowing, her hand fisted over her heart. "Welcome to your new home."

_Sgiach_

The queen snapped out of the memory, her eyes widening. She had to tell Zoey what had happened. A Warrior stood by the door to her throne room, guarding and protecting her.

"Victus!" He turned. "Call Zoey Redbird. Now!"


End file.
